Is there a doctor in the house – or legislature?

Tracy-Anne McPhee, the minister of Health and Social Services, was doubtless wanting to ask that plaintive question Tuesday as she was grilled about the government’s apparent inability to solve the perennial doctor shortage.

The question has plagued McPhee during her almost year-long term as health minister.

The opposition parties have repeatedly quizzed her on the lack of a physician recruitment officer in her department – as well as why the government won’t move to set up a walk-in clinic to serve Yukoners who lack a family doctor.

According to the Yukon Party, there had been such a position until the Liberals took over physician recruitment and retention. It lapsed after that.

McPhee told reporters after question period there had been such a part-time position, but it hadn’t been active for a few years.

During question period, Yukon Party MLA Brad Cathers went after McPhee over the issue.

“The Liberal government’s lack of action on physician recruitment and retention has created the unfortunate situation where thousands of Yukoners — over one-fifth, in fact — do not have a family doctor,” he said.

“This has meant that the Yukon Medical Association has had to fill the gap on its own. On their own initiative and with their own funds, the YMA hired a physician recruiter. This has been done with zero support from the government,” Cathers said.

He asked McPhee, “Will the Yukon government finally take some action and actually work with the YMA on physician recruitment by, as a first step, financially supporting their efforts to attract more doctors to the Yukon?”

McPhee said that “once again, the members opposite have proven to be unreliable here in the legislative assembly, providing information to Yukoners that is simply not the case.

“The transfer payment agreement between the Department of Health and Social Services and the Yukon Medical Association clearly states that there are funds available for a recruitment officer and recruitment activities. They have chosen to hire a recruitment officer, which we are very pleased about.”

The government is working closely with the YMA to pursue more physicians for the territory, she added.

“One of our best resources in that way is Yukon physicians who can describe to their colleagues the great working relationship, the great working conditions, and the opportunities here in the Yukon that do not exist, I would say, anywhere else in Canada,” McPhee said.

She also said the planned new bilingual medical clinic will offer walk-in services. She told reporters it’s scheduled to be open sometime this year, but couldn’t offer a definitive timeline.

Cathers also raised the government’s dependence on locum health practitioners – temporary health care providers who are in the territory for fixed periods to fill in for shortages.

“One common reason doctors need to take leave is for maternity,” Cathers said.

“We have heard that as many as five family doctors are about to go on leave over the next few weeks for this reason,” he told the house.

“We’ve heard that almost none have been able to find sufficient locum coverage. What is the government doing to help family doctors recruit locums to provide coverage when they need to go on leave for maternity or other reasons?”

McPhee said the YMA’s physician recruiter must determine how to attract doctors to small, rural, remote, and northern contexts, which has historically been a challenge.

“I can also note that the majority of medical clinics here in Whitehorse are physician-led private businesses that oversee their own recruitment and locum coverage,” she said.

“I can indicate there are funds in the agreement that provides funding to the Yukon Medical Association for locum recruitment activities and that is supported in the funding that we provide to the Yukon Medical Association.”

McPhee then quoted some numbers to Cathers.

“It is important for them to know that the Canadian Institute for Health Information — which is often quoted by the member opposite — and the National Physician Database here in Canada indicates that there is an average of 173 resident physicians per 100,000 people in the fiscal year 2019-20, but comparatively, in the Yukon, there were 221 resident physicians per 100,000 people during that period of time.”

The territory also has numerous specialists and service providers who visit the territory to help Yukoners with their health care, she added.

“We are also working to launch a talent acquisition website in the spring of this year, which will be a dedicated recruitment site for Health and Social Services staff, including nurses, and which will be focused on rural recruitment and retention — working constantly on this important issue for Yukoners.”