More money needed to recruit doctors to London, task force head tells councillors [Video]

London lags behind other municipalities in recruiting family doctors and needs to increase funding for a task force working to combat a physician shortage in the southwestern Ontario city, where thousands remain without primary care, the group’s head told a council committee on Monday.

The Middlesex-London Ontario Health Team (MLOHT) has hired six doctors to clinics over the last year but needs $80,000 this year to continue its primary care recruitment program, aimed at attracting more doctors to the region, said recruitment lead Andrea Loewen. 

“The money is used for the salary for this [MLOHT] role, plus travel and hosting events for doctors and residents, which is really important for building relationships and helping them,” Loewen told city hall’s community and protective services committee. 

“This is what the city needs right now. We need this role to continue and we need to continue to get at the provincial level.” 

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