The Opposition is seeking answers from government after learning that the Chief of Family Medicine in central Newfoundland spends just four days a month in this province.
Barry Petten says Dr. Ammar Al-Rubaye lives in Ontario, and according to the College of Physicians and Surgeons, he has spent the last year as a locum in the Northwest Territories and Ontario.
Petten says it’s an issue that’s being ignored by NLHS. He questioned the leadership structure of the health care system in the House of Assembly.
Petten asked health minister Krista Lynn Howell if she could confirm that the Chief of Family Medicine for Central Region does not reside in Newfoundland and Labrador. The minister indicated that she would check with NLHS to find out more.
NLHS responds
Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services says delivering health service in rural parts of the province often calls for “creative and flexible approaches.”
The health authority was responding to questions raised in the House of Assembly regarding the Chief of Family Medicine in the central health zone, who the Opposition says lives away and only spends four days a month in the province.
NLHS says it cannot share personal information regarding a physicians’ living arrangements to protect their privacy and confidentiality.
It says it remains committed to exploring “every safe, effective, and sustainable option to meet the needs of patients and communities.”
