'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 Another suspect arrested in Toronto Pearson airport gold heist: police
Another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year, police say.
Hailey and Justin Bieber are expecting their first child
Hailey Rhode Bieber, Canadian musician Justin Bieber's wife, announced her pregnancy on social media on Thursday. Hailey posted a series of photos showing her baby bump alongside husband Justin.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Poilievre-led government 'would never' use notwithstanding clause on abortion, his office says
A Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would not legislate on, nor use the notwithstanding clause, on abortion, his office says, as anti-abortion protesters gather on Parliament Hill.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Miss Teen USA steps down just days after Miss USA's resignation
Miss Teen USA resigned Wednesday, sending further shock waves through the pageant community just days after Miss USA said she would relinquish her crown.
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Cyclist strikes child crossing the street to catch school bus in Montreal
A video circulating on social media of a young girl being hit by a bike has some calling for better safety and more caution when designing bike lanes in the city. The video shows a four-year-old girl crossing Jeanne-Mance Street in Montreal's Plateau neighbourhood to get on a school bus stopped on the opposite side of the street