More than 1,300 patients in St. Albert are now searching for a new family doctor after two physicians at the Grandin Medical Clinic announced their retirement.
Dr. Ken Chow and Dr. Darcy Zalasky notified their patients in March they would step away from the practice in the coming months. Chow, who has been serving the community for 50 years, confirmed he sent out between 1,300 and 1,400 retirement letters to his patients, informing them they would need to find a new doctor.
Chow said Zalasky would have notified many more people than himself.
"In my letter, I advise people that as of July 1, I would have been in practice for 50 years, and that I will be doing full time up till July 1," said Chow. "After that it'll take about two to three months to wind down."
Chow said the retirement letters being sent out are not a unique thing. The College of Physicians and Surgeons requires all doctors retiring or changing practices to send formal notices to their patients at least three months before their planned departure.
As the Grandin Medical Clinic has not found any new doctors, patients will need to find a new physician elsewhere.
"We weren't able to stay at the Grandin clinic, which was a little disappointing after 50-some years," said longtime clinic patient Carl Renaud. "We were there before Dr. Chow was our family doctor."
Renaud said when he learned about Chow's retirement, he hoped he and his wife could stay with the clinic and switch to a different doctor.
"I guess if we'd known things ahead of time, we might have been able to transfer to a different doctor earlier or stayed with the clinic somehow, but with the two doctors retiring and no prospects in sight, you didn't have a choice," Renaud said. "They advised you to look for a new doctor."
While he would have liked to stay with the clinic, he said he was able to find a new family doctor.
Chow said patients are not able to stay with the clinic because all the other doctors already practising at peak capacity.
"If they had to take on all the patients that myself and Dr. Zalasky see, they wouldn't be able to handle it, you would actually put other people, their own patients, in jeopardy," said Chow.
Chow said that the clinic has been looking to bring in new doctors; however, it has been difficult due to the doctor shortage. He explained that if the clinic could find a new doctor, that would take a lot of strain off the clinic as they could then take some of his patients.
"The reason for that is that, basically, the government has not been able to make things attractive for family doctors to stay in Alberta and for doctors to do family practice," said Chow. "That's why so many doctors have left the family practice. Even though you have a graduation class of family doctors, many of them don't end up doing family practices."
He explained that instead of practising family medicine in Alberta, many doctors go to other provinces to practise or open boutique practices where they only do one thing instead of comprehensive care of patients.
Chow said the Government of Alberta has been working to attract and retain doctors; however, because the province has already lost so many doctors, it will take some time to get back to stable staffing levels.
He said the community in St. Albert has been lucky as several new doctors have opened practices, which has helped many of his patients find a new doctor.
"From a patient point of view, they're losing a doctor when they leave our clinic. From a doctor's point of view, I've seen these patients for 40 to 50 years. I find it hard to leave them as well," said Chow.
