P.E.I. sees sizable jump in new doctors, Opposition skeptical of real improvement

Prince Edward Island has signed 23 new doctors already this year, a major increase from 2023.

The announcement came as Opposition members pressed the health minister on P.E.I.’s doctor waitlist Wednesday, which has grown to roughly 37,000 people.

The government said much of that has been due to population growth, but officials are taking steps to remedy the situation.

“To date this year, on Prince Edward Island, we have signed 23 physicians to work in our system,” said P.E.I. Health Minister Mark McLane. “To put that into perspective, in all of 2023, we hired 24.”

McLane pointed to increased spending, cutting red tape, and the recruiting impact of the still under-construction medical school as factors for the increase.

“We have 10 already practicing; the other 13 are going to start,” said McLane. “Ten of those physicians are actually going into patient medical homes, so this is a great story. I’m very proud of it.”

Medical homes are the province’s attempt to replace old single-physician practices with broader teams of health professions. They’re designed to allow a smaller number of doctors to care for a larger number of patients.

However, the leader of P.E.I.’s official Opposition wasn’t impressed by the announcement.

“So if there’s 23 that were signed on, how many doctors left? How many doctors left the system?” said Hal Perry, P.E.I. Liberal Leader. “Or are these new doctors that came in to teach at the medical school? We don’t have that information.”

The University of P.E.I. medical schools will also serve as a patient medical home.

The province also announced $25 million in additional spending to open 54 new private long-term care beds across the province. The government also said they’ll be extending grants and loans to operators to expand their facilities.

There hasn’t yet been any announcement around a possible expansion of P.E.I.’s public long-term care system.

For more Prince Edward Island news visit our dedicated provincial page.