American podiatrist leaving Nova Scotia over bureaucratic frustrations
CBC
An American surgical podiatrist says he has decided to leave Nova Scotia because he's unable to fully treat his patients, which leaves them lingering on long waitlists.
Dr. Ronald Barron said he's fed up with dealing with the Nova Scotia College of Physicians and Surgeons and the provincial health department, which would not give him permission to perform some minimally invasive surgeries in his clinic.
"I have not worked anywhere, especially in the United States, where you have to wait three years to have a bunion or a hammer toe repaired," Barron said.
"I could fix [these] issues very easily and very effectively if I were allowed to. But as it is with the government and college, I'm prevented from doing it. It was very hard."
Barron moved to Dartmouth to work in a clinic in early 2024 in hopes of staying long-term. His mother was from Guysborough County, and he said he spent many summers in the province.
"It seemed like a very, very good opportunity," he said.
His arrival coincided with significant changes for podiatrists in the province. The change meant that for the first time, they could prescribe medications and order X-rays instead of asking primary care providers to do so on their behalf.
In a statement to CBC News, Dr. Gus Grant, the head of the province's college of physicians, said the move "brought accountability, structure, and appropriate recognition of the contributions that podiatry can make to N.S. health care."
But Barron said in his case, the changes didn't go far enough.
Unlike Canadian podiatrists, his U.S. training included minimally invasive surgeries such as treating bunions or hammer toes in his clinic instead of sending patients to a hospital operating room.
"I had explained to the college in quite a bit of detail my background, they were aware of that. Initially they seemed very happy to have somebody with my skill set coming to the province."
He said he reached out to the provincial government and the college several times, asking for an expansion of his services, but received no reply.
Barron said it felt like he was "passing the buck" as he saw patients with conditions he knew he could treat.
He pointed to a case where a diabetic man in his 40s had a hammer toe and a wound on his foot.
CBC is once again looking to make the holiday season kind in Windsor-Essex.
Acute Care Alberta has extended its contract for another year with a private surgical facility at the centre of probes into health procurement and contracting.
As food bank use continues to climb across the province, front-line workers in Thunder Bay, Ont., are working to improve both food security and education.
More ads could soon be coming to Toronto’s subway system.
The driver wanted in connection with a fatal hit and run on Highway 401 earlier this week has been identified, police say.
There are mixed feelings about the proposed Grays Bay road and port project, among people who live in nearby communities.
WARNING: This story details allegations of child abuse and includes graphic content.
Provincial police in Lambton County have charged a 23-year-old man with second degree murder following a death investigation that began this past Saturday.
The Newfoundland and Labrador government is forming a working group to tackle what it calls systemic issues in the justice system, but answers or solutions could still be months away.
A woman has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death in a 2024 fatal hit and run in Truro, N.S., where the victim was dragged down the street, a case that went unsolved for more than six months.
A stream of people showing up to a brightly lit front porch, each holding up a bottle of wine, spirits, or beer.
Sona Lakhoyan Olivier has been excluded from Quebec’s Liberal caucus for the duration of an investigation led by the National Assembly’s ethics commissioner, the party announced Thursday.
The head of the William Whyte Neighbourhood Association hopes a city plan to crack down on vacant properties leads to a transformation in his community.