By David MacDonald
david@peicanada.com

While it’s still not a full complement, Souris Hospital will remain with two permanent physicians after Dr Ambrose Kennedy had a change of heart and will continue practising in the area.
In the meantime, the province is having no luck in filling Souris Hospital’s remaining two positions.
The Graphic reported back in October that Dr Kennedy was slated to leave Souris this month for personal reasons, and had requested the Department of Health to be relocated to another area on PEI.
But Marilyn Barrett, Director of Primary Care Networks for Health PEI, said Friday that Dr Kennedy requested to remain in Souris, but she couldn’t provide the reasons why he changed his mind. She said Dr Kennedy is currently on a five-week vacation and will return to Souris afterwards.
During Dr Kennedy’s vacation, the walk-in clinic at the hospital will be covered by its one remaining permanent doctor, as well as two locums and a nurse practitioner. The clinic posts a month-by-month schedule on Health PEI’s website, and the clinic was closed from Thursday, January 26 to Sunday, January 30 due to lack of coverage.
Ms Barrett said three off-Island physicians have made visits to Souris since December.
“Two candidates decided not to relocate to Souris at this time, while one candidate is considering various options in the province,” she said.
She said the Recruitment and Retention Office is continuing to look for appropriate candidates for Souris and a number of physician applications are under consideration.
“We’re not feeling like it’s a great success in Souris but those are the chances you take,” Ms Barrett said.