Orangeville's successful physician recruitment program might have removed it from eligibility for locum and other provincial funding for rural doctors, but Shelburne is set to gain increased incentives.

The newly announced provincial funding provides as much as just more than $1,000 a day for physicians who are willing to spend some time as rural locums (substituting for doctors who are on vacation or otherwise away from their practises).

Hitherto, says Shelburne Mayor Ed Crewson who heads the search committee for the Shelburne-based underserviced area serving the town plus the townships of Amaranth, Melancthon and Mulmur, the only available program would pay a maximum of $434 a day "but the doctors all wanted $1,000."

Mr. Crewson said Orangeville has appeared to be recruiting doctors on a weekly basis, "but we haven't recruited a doctor in six years. (The Orangeville committee) has been doing a good job for Orangeville."

On the basis of a new funding formula, Orangeville was given a score of eight whereas Shelburne, because of a lack of doctors, scored 40 points to make it eligible for the incentives.

Pat Webster, secretary of the Shelburne committee, said the 40 points would automatically qualify Shelburne for the maximum funding at the Mel Lloyd Centre.

She said there are no additional provincial incentives. But the Mel Lloyd Centre has a waiting list of 2,000 patients, said Mr. Crewson, and those could generate an annual income of $174,000 for a new practitioner.

And there are local incentives. The Centre provides the physician with services and equipment at no cost, and The Highland Companies provides free accommodation for the locums.

The locum program is a vital tool in recruitment. "No doctor wants to move to a rural area until spending some time here. Now we can offer a 30-day locum at $1,000 a day (to introduce the physician to the area and the patients)."

Mayor Crewson, more than 10 years ago, obtained the first underserviced designation in Dufferin. Orangeville, in league with Caledon and Headwaters Health Care Centre, came on board later.

Shelburne temporarily relaxed its recruitment efforts on the understanding that Orangeville would recruit for medical clinics at Shelburne and Grand Valley as well, on the strength of county funding.

It became active again with the realignment of municipalities for the two areas.