PEI·NewThe provincial government faced questions Wednesday about access to physicians at several long-term care homes in Prince Edward Island.Health minister says homes can be assured of continued physician coverageRyan McKellop · CBC News · Posted: Nov 19, 2025 5:25 PM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Future physician coverage in question at 5 long-term care homes in P.E.I. There were questions in the legislature about doctor coverage at some of the Island’s long-term care homes. Five facilities in West Prince and Charlottetown have coverage until the end of the month — but what happens after that is not known. CBC’s Wayne Thibodeau has more. The provincial government faced questions Wednesday about access to physicians at several long-term care homes in Prince Edward Island.Opposition Leader Hal Perry said it all started last Friday after staff at a community-owned long-term care home in Tignish received an email saying there would be no doctor coverage over the weekend, either in house or on call. “Then a second email followed a few hours later, reversing course that doctor coverage would continue — only until November 30, and then it ends,” Perry said during question period in the provincial legislature. After some digging, Perry said he discovered five homes were impacted in West Prince and in Charlottetown.’Unless the minister can find a solution, hundreds… of seniors may not be able to stay in these homes,’ says Opposition Leader Hal Perry. (Rick Gibbs/CBC)Without physician coverage, he said, seniors will be forced to go to already overcrowded hospital emergency rooms. “These long-term care homes are required to have either in-house or on-call physician coverage. Without it, they cannot operate,” Perry said “That means, unless the minister can find a solution, hundreds — and I mean hundreds — of seniors may not be able to stay in these homes.” Health Minister Mark McLane accused Perry of creating unnecessary fear. He acknowledged there are not enough doctors providing care, but said his department would continue to provide coverage for long-term care homes. “There is no neglect. We have a plan until Nov. 30,” McLane said. “I can assure the member we will provide care to our long-term care residents.”CBC News spoke with the president of the Tignish seniors home Wednesday. She said staff are concerned about what will happen with doctor coverage as of Dec. 1. ‘This is where they belong’In an interview after question period, McLane confirmed physician coverage for “after Nov. 30,” but he couldn’t say how much longer that coverage has been extended. Mark McLane, P.E.I.’s minister of health and wellness, says the Island’s health-care system is lacking resources, much like other provinces. (Rick Gibbs/CBC)McLane said the lack of doctor coverage for those long-term care homes is connected to the new Physician Services Agreement, which is not finalized yet. “We will ensure that we have coverage at those homes, and we will not discharge patients or send them back to hospital,” he said.“This is their home, this is where they belong, so we will support all our long-term care facilities.”Perry said doctors doing this coverage were not paid for the work they did in October.McLane said they will be compensated. Meanwhile, the health minister said Wednesday that seven physicians from Quebec are interested in working on the Island — though those doctors are locums, meaning they’ll only practise here for a short time.McLane said Health P.E.I. is focusing more on Quebec, and is sending a recruitment team to visit four cities in that province starting this week.Hundreds of Quebec physicians are applying to work elsewhere after the province introduced a controversial bill to reform doctors’ pay. ABOUT THE AUTHORRyan McKellop is a graduate of the Holland College journalism program and is working as an Associate Producer and Web Writer. Got a story idea? Email ryan.mckellop@cbc.caWith files from Wayne Thibodeau
Concerns raised about future of doctor coverage at 5 long-term care homes in P.E.I.
