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<\/p>\nA longtime family doctor in Summerside says she is leaving the province, and it all comes down to how Health P.E.I. is treating family physicians.<\/p>\n
Dr. Heather Austin, who has practised family medicine in Summerside since 2011, announced she will close her practice and move back to Nova Scotia by the summer of 2028.<\/p>\n
In a public letter, she described the decision as one made \u201cwith significant deliberation and heartache.\u201d Over the past 18 months, she wrote, working in P.E.I.\u2019s health-care system has become increasingly difficult. She said she cannot continue working for a health authority that treats her and her colleagues \u201cwith such ignorant disrespect.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing a family physician is a choice. We go into this work to provide service to the population, and we do put our heart and soul into the work that we do. We care about our patients,\u201d Austin told CBC News on Monday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest impact is how it has made it harder for me to do the work that I love to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Austin is one of three P.E.I. doctors who have recently informed Health P.E.I. they are leaving their practices.<\/p>\n
CBC News requested an interview with Health P.E.I., which instead sent a statement from Chief Medical Officer Dr. Johan Viljoen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTo strengthen collaboration, the Health P.E.I. board is establishing an advisory panel to hear directly from primary care providers,\u201d the statement reads. <\/p>\n
\u201cHealth P.E.I. is working under the agreement approved by the Medical Society of P.E.I. and respects its role representing physicians, while continuing to listen and improve how the agreement is implemented.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a separate statement, Health P.E.I.’s board of directors said it recognizes the importance of maintaining open dialogue as implementation of the Physician Services Agreement (PSA) \u2014 the province’s contract with doctors \u2014 continues.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It said the advisory panel would convene by the end of March and conclude by Aug. 31, and will be made up of \u201cHealth P.E.I. publicly-appointed board members.\u201d<\/p>\n
Implementation of PSA fell short, doctor says<\/p>\n
The Physician Services Agreement was signed in 2024 by the Department of Health, Health P.E.I. and the Medical Society of P.E.I.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Austin said doctors were initially optimistic, calling the PSA \u201can excellent document.\u201d But she said the issue is not the agreement itself, it\u2019s how Health P.E.I. has implemented it.<\/p>\n
She said the intention was for the three parties to roll the agreement out collaboratively, but Health P.E.I. has instead acted as though it\u2019s the \u201csole proprietor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe approach that they have taken has demonstrated to me that they don’t understand my work and their implementation approach would be a barrier to me providing good care to my patients,\u201d she said. \u201cThey have not listened to our advice.\u201d<\/p>\n
WATCH | Dr. Heather Austin talks about why she’s leaving her Summerside practice:<\/p>\n
Dr. Heather Austin talks about why she’s leaving her Summerside practice<\/p>\n
A family medicine physician on the Island since 2011, Dr. Heather Austin says she has no choice but to close her Summerside practice over what she calls disrespect toward doctors from Health P.E.I. She sat down with CBC’s Taylor O’Brien to discuss what went into her decision<\/p>\n
Earlier in 2025, tensions escalated when physicians raised concerns<\/a> about a new operational guide contained in the PSA. The medical society even threatened legal action<\/a>. <\/p>\n
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