In response to recent media articles around the doctor shortage in Timmins reaching “crisis” level, the City of Timmins is clarifying the municipality’s role in supporting physician recruitment.
With the exception of the City of Greater Sudbury, the City of Timmins funds physician recruitment at a higher level than any community in Northeastern Ontario. The City has been providing $145,000 in annual funding to the Physician Recruitment Initiative since the early 2000s. At that time, the City was called upon by the local health sector to finance the Medical Specialist Building to address the need for access to specialists in Timmins. This commitment carries through until 2028. In fact, the City has been providing funding for physician recruitment since the early 1990s.
City officials met with members of the physician recruitment task force in late 2021 to discuss physician recruitment. The task force was asked to develop a recruitment strategy and, to date, no clear strategy has been received.
In the meantime, the City continues to work with the Timmins and District Hospital (TADH) in supporting the expansion of the hospital’s physician recruitment program.