WATERLOO - A group of physicians and specialists are in Waterloo Region this weekend as part of a recruitment effort to ensure everyone has a doctor to call their own.
The Greater KW Chamber of Commerce is touring possible practice spots like the Boardwalk Medical Clinic.
There are nearly 20,000 people in the region who don't have a doctor and with the aging population, experts say it's only going to get worse.
"Every day we have people coming into the front desk in our clinic asking, and we say 'sorry we can't take on any more patients.' Then the patients will often move to the next clinic," says John Sehl, a family physician.
The physician recruitment program is just over 20 years old.
When it started, nearly 40,000 residents were without a consistent doctor and they've since halved that number.
But the recent population spike means the need is growing.
”In order to recruit and retain the brightest talent that we are lucky enough to have, we need to make sure we have family physicians that can take care of those residents," says Jenna Petker, the physician recruitment lead.
The Chamber says they work all year long to recruit, especially with a number of senior doctors getting ready to retire.
