Ellis Ross reads off a list of names sent via a text to his phone from someone he does not know.
Most are names of family doctors but there’s also a couple of specialists — all of whom he says have either left Terrace in the last year or who are doing different things.
It’s part of a puzzle the B.C. Liberal MLA for Skeena has been trying to solve behind why thousands of people in Terrace and area no longer have a family doctor.
“There are letters, they all say the same, speaking of a toxic work atmosphere, but what does that mean? People send me anonymous texts and emails,” said Ross recently in his Terrace office.
“I understand it’s a sensitive issue and there are professionals that don’t want to be named, but how do I understand why so many doctors are leaving Terrace? I’ve got nothing to go on.”
If not references to toxic work atmospheres, Ross says he and others are also being asked to lobby for better working conditions.
“But what does that mean? How can I address an issue like that? Im looking for answers.”
When it comes to recruitment and retention, Ross says he is on more solid ground, saying he understands that hiring a physician nowadays isn’t accomplished in isolation.
“You hire the doctor and the family. I know that from my First Nations government experience,” he adds.
One issue he has encountered is the lack of daycare and that even well-paid professionals have been approaching him.
“That’s something I can address,” said Ross of daycare deficiencies.
He’s planning to hold a community forum on the issue.
Latest statistics available from the health ministry show that as of the beginning of the year, there were 14 family doctors in Terrace and area providing the equivalent service of nine to 11 full-time physicians.
That’s about one-third of what’s needed in the area and while recruitment is ongoing, the situation is not significantly expected to change anytime soon.
A person is considered to have a family doctor when they are “attached” to that doctor. Within the Northern Health area, the attachment rate is pegged at 74 per cent but in Terrace and area only half the population is considered attached.
Terrace and area went through a similar shortage five years ago, resulting in a concerted recruitment drive on the part of the city, Northern Health and First Nations.
That stabilized the issue until departures once again brought on shortages.