'It's so sad': Retired N.S. doctor feels she 'abandoned' her patients
Retirement is bittersweet, said Dr. Deanna Swinamer, as she spent a rare few minutes in her old office at the clinic in Hammonds Plains, N.S., Tuesday.
"It is far less stressful," said Swinamer with a smile.
"Finally having a chance to breathe. I'm finding great enjoyment in many little things."
After decades of providing care to thousands of patients, she finally saw the last of them in late-December.
It was the added stress brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic that finally broke the camel's back - and the doctor's heart.
"I ended up abandoning another 2,000 patients that I care very deeply about. I've been here caring for the same people for the past 23 years, since I moved to Nova Scotia, and it's heartbreaking," she said.
"Since COVID hit, the last two and a half years have been probably the worst years that I've practiced in family practice. And we stayed, I stayed. I saw patients during COVID. I did not completely go to just a phone call. We saw people, because people needed to be seen."
It wasn't a last minute decision.
Swinamer started telling patients months in advance and even started lobbying government to find a replacement.
She also sat down for an interview with a newly graduated doctor.
"And he said to me, 'Dr. Swinamer, nobody's going to do what you do.'"
In March of 2022, Swinamer met with Nova Scotia's Healthcare Recruitment Office.
"And so that went on for a while. I certainly met with several people, but nobody wanted to come and do what I do at this clinic," said Swinamer.
In an email to CTV News, Nova Scotia Health confirmed work was underway to find a replacement.
"Recruitment efforts are ongoing and Hammonds Plains is a priority for us in Central Zone," said Brendan Elliott, media relations senior advisor for NS Health.
“There have been four site visits by prospective primary care providers to the clinic between March and September. We have a posting up for locum coverage for another physician in the clinic to provide relief while we continue to recruit for Dr. Swinamer’s vacancy."
Meantime, a former patient of Swinamer's also launched a campaign to help find a replacement, lobbying the government through phone calls and emails.
"I finally got an email back in late December from them, saying that a family doctor was going to be in place soon," said Jean Lumsden, a resident of Lewis Lake, N.S.
Lumsden said, when Dr. Swinamer mentioned she would be retiring, the first thing she felt was panic.
“Because you don't know what you're going to do," said Lumsden.
"I just assumed someone would be coming in."
In the meantime, Lumsden and her family have joined the nearly 130,000 Nova Scotians on a waitlist to find a primary care provider.
"We're searching. We're hoping. Fingers crossed," said Lumsden.
Swinamer takes some solace in knowing walk-in doctors at the clinic have agreed to see her patients because the files are still there, but it's hardly what she was hoping for.
"It's not a great solution, but the system is so broken right now," she said.
"It's so sad."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, Ontario police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
'Shopaholic' author Sophie Kinsella reveals brain cancer diagnosis
Sophie Kinsella, the best-selling author behind the 'Shopaholic' book series, has revealed that she is receiving treatment for brain cancer.
Motion to allow keffiyehs at Ontario legislature fails
A motion to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh within Queen’s Park failed to receive unanimous consent Thursday just moments after Ontario Premier Doug Ford reiterated his view that prohibiting the garment in the House is divisive.
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
Taylor Swift's new album allegedly 'leaked' on social media and it's causing a frenzy
A Google Drive link allegedly containing 17 tracks that are purportedly from Swift's eagerly awaited "The Tortured Poets Department" album has been making the rounds on the internet in the past day and people are equal parts mad, sad and happy about it.
Calgary man charged with manslaughter in death of toddler
Calgary police say Winston Campbell, 45, has been charged in the death of a two-year-old girl in 2022.
Allman Brothers Band co-founder and legendary guitarist Dickey Betts dies at 80
Guitar legend Dickey Betts, who co-founded the Allman Brothers Band and wrote their biggest hit, 'Ramblin' Man,' has died. He was 80.