Dear Editor,

It has always bothered me that we can recruit doctors to Estevan fairly well but cannot seem to retain them. It seems that once we have a doctor here and a doctor patient relationship is being built, that this relationship should be fostered.  I have recently discovered that this not the practice of the medical offices and their management.

It seems that when a doctor is recruited, they are obligated to pay a portion of their earnings to the office (which makes sense), however if they are recruited, they are required to pay 50 per cent more than if they apply. What this means is that in order to get paid as much as possible, which is what we all want, you need to be recruited here and quit.  The incentive we have in Estevan is an incentive for doctors to leave, not to stay.

There are other factors to figure in. When recruited from overseas you need to retake all your exams and you must study in an office with a minimum of three other doctors. You must also get your permanent residency. And many other things.

My point is that once all the exams and residency things are finished and the doctor is licensed and qualified, our current system encourages them to leave town.

Furthermore, if doctors were to leave their current office and move to the new offices in the hospital they would pay 50 per cent less than at their offices but they cannot do that due to their contract. In order to go to the hospital they must first leave town for two consecutive years.

Byron Stepp

Estevan