nearly 1,400 islanders to go on patient registry following departure of kensington doctor
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dr. ken white is leaving his practice at the kensington health centre as of july 3. his nearly 1,400 patients will be going on the patient registry.
kristin gardiner
/
journal pioneer
kensington, p.e.i. — this summer, p.e.i. is losing another doctor.
according to a statement from health p.e.i., dr. ken white will be closing his practice july 3.
white, a family doctor out of the kensington health centre, currently sees 1,375 patients. as of may 20, health p.e.i. said there was no physician set to take on that patient load.
as such, his patients will be able to join the patient registry and receive virtual care through maple.
“we’d like to thank dr. white for his contributions to the island health care system and send him best wishes as he pursues further opportunities off-island, where he will be close to family,” read the health p.e.i. statement.
“dr. white has requested privacy during this transition for him and his family.”
the statement concluded by emphasizing that health p.e.i. remains committed to recruiting family doctors and nurse practitioners.
around 1,400 islanders will be on the patient registry once dr. ken white closes his family practice out of the kensington health centre.
kristin gardiner
/
journal pioneer
matt mackay, mla for the area, raised the issue in the legislature on may 20, saying that there had been rumours going around for a while that the town was going to “lose a key piece of our local health care.”
“in a small area like ours, news like that travels fast and it creates a lot of genuine worry for families who have relied on him for years,” said mackay.
“they’re not looking for gossip, they’re looking for the facts so they can start planning for their own health-care future.”
he asked for confirmation regarding the departure. health minister cory deagle confirmed, and said the notice was expected to go out to his patients that week.
“certainly, we don’t want to lose any doctors, of course,” said deagle. “but that’s a decision they made. they have asked for privacy with this decision, mr. speaker, and we’ll respect that.”
white hails from south africa and attended medical school in new zealand. he began practicing in kensington in march 2020.
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the journal pioneer spoke to someone at the reception and asked to speak to white but was told no.
kristin gardiner is a reporter for the journal pioneer in prince edward island. she can be reached at kgardiner@postmedia.com.
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