A newly-elected member of city council says more investment is needed to attract doctors and specialists to the Sault. He is suggesting a big increase in the amount of funding made available from the municipality toward physician recruitment.
Stephan Kinach, who was recently elected to represent Ward 4, is himself a dentist by profession, but he is currently unable to work in that profession because his certifications were obtained in Ukraine.
He and his wife returned to Canada in the winter and he has been working to obtain credentials in Canada that will allow him to work as a dentist here.
Two weeks ago he received word that he passed his first exam in working toward that goal.
“I was on cloud nine," said Kinach. "After that the election was just the icing on the cake for October for good news.”
While he is studying, Kinach is working at the Cambrian Dental Centre with his father Dr. Orest Kinach.
“I do IT and dental assisting when they are short,” said Kinach. “I do pretty much everything I need to do to keep the family business going there and on the side I am studying.”
Kinach said as city councillor he will focus on health and wellness issues in Sault Ste. Marie.
”That’s not only the opioid crisis, but the shortage we are seeing with family doctors and that our city only has one OBGYN,” he said.
When looking through the most recent city budget, Kinach discovered Sault Ste. Marie spends $90,000 a year on physician recruitment.
“That is not enough money to get doctors to come to our city. I would like to see a rejuvenation of that program and go full force,” he said.
Reached by email on Monday, the city's corporate communications officer, Tessa Vecchio said the total amount spent in the community annually on physician recruitment is $220,000.
”The city share is $90,000 and the balance is shared equally by Sault Area Hospital and the Group Health Centre,” she said.
Kinach’s plan would include a one-time $2-million investment in which the city would be the lender for student doctors on the condition they practice in the Sault upon graduation.
”We would be able to offer better rates on a student loan versus the bank because the interest rates are going up through the roof right now,” said Kinach. “If we can offer something like half a percent and as those doctors pay it back, they have to work in Sault Ste. Marie and as that money comes back into that account we reinvest in another doctor, another specialist that we may need at that time.”
Kinach said he wouldn’t put a timeline on the repayment of the loan.
”You have to pay the interest on it every year and if you pay it back slower, who cares, because it means you’re going to stay here longer to work,” he said.
Reached by phone on Monday, mayor-elect Matthew Shoemaker said he has spoken to Kinach about the plan and said there is merit in taking a new approach to physician recruitment in the Sault.
Shoemaker said $2 million may end up having to be an end target and maybe not something that could be achieved right out of the gate.
“I think the numbers he is talking about would be a lot to get to right away, but definitely we need to,” said Shoemaker. “How quickly we can get to an increased number is something council as a whole will have to decide.”