Dr. Algie to head physicians’ college

FORT FRANCES—A Fort Frances doctor was inducted as president of the Ontario College of Family Physicians at an awards ceremony last week in Toronto.
Dr. Robert Algie explained in an e-mail to the Times that last year he was elected to the OCFP executive for a four-year term, and spent the past 12 months as president-elect.

He now will be president for one year, after which time he will remain on the executive for another two years as past president and then past-past president.
“I feel honoured to have been nominated by the board and subsequently elected by the general meeting,” Dr. Algie said.
“I realize it might affect my availability to my patients, but beg their understanding,” he added.
“Hopefully, my visibility might bring renewed interest to rural remote medicine and subsequently help the recruitment of new doctors to rural communities.”
Dr. Algie said Tuesday he’s faced a number of questions from the public since news of his induction has spread and wanted to set the record straight.
“To answer some questions around town, I am not leaving the practice of medicine in Fort Frances,” he stressed.
“My additional commitments this year will probably not be too onerous, but my availability to my practice will certainly suffer,” he conceded.
“I hope to mitigate that by keeping in close contact with my colleagues electronically when I am away,” Dr. Algie added.
“I think my free time and vacation time, including sailing, will likely be the victims of this largely volunteer effort.”
Dr. Algie explained the role of OCFP president involves being chair of an executive committee, having meetings with government, the Ontario Medical Association, and universities, and travelling to meet with Local Health Integration Networks and family medicine residents.
Dr. Algie has been a member of the OCFP since 1984. He joined the board of directors six years ago, and already had been on the executive for a few years prior to his current term.
Also at last Thursday’s ceremony, local physician Dr. Lorena Jenks received an award of excellence from the College of Family Physicians of Canada and Ontario College of Family Physicians.
She was among 17 Ontario physicians who were so honoured in 2009.
Dr. Jenks said she was honoured to receive the recognition for her years of dedication in the field of obstetric and neonatal care.
“It’s like a lot of things . . . you feel like you’re not more worthy than anybody else, but it’s nice to be recognized just the same,” she remarked.
Referring to Dr. Algie being OCFP president for the next year, Dr. Jenks said it is “excellent,” and “definitely a step in the right direction for rural family physicians.”
“We know he’s got to represent the whole province, but he’s definitely coming from a pro-rural family physician standpoint to lobby a little bit for rural care,” she noted.
Dr. Jenks said a good example of this is where, in recent months, the OCFP successfully lobbied the province for a moratorium on the closure of small hospitals in Ontario.
The OCFP is a provincial, voluntary organization of family physicians that supports the continuing professional development of its members.
According to its website, the college “strives to improve the health of Ontarians by promoting high standards of medical education and care in family practice, by contributing to public understanding of healthy living, by supporting ready access to family physician services, and by encouraging research and disseminating knowledge about family medicine.”
(Fort Frances Times)