Family doctors in Kingston and nearby towns are being recognized by the Ontario College of Family Physicians (OCFP) for their level of care and commitment to their communities based on a nomination from their own patients.
A release from the OCFP highlights three doctors in the area, with testaments from their patients who put forward nominations for them.
Nominations were solicited by the OCFP with the question ‘tell us how your family doctor has gone above and beyond for you’, and the organization said in the release that the response was enormous, resulting in over 750 physicians being honoured with 27 of those being in the Kingston area.
Dr. Jobin Varughese, President of the OCFP, said the overwhelming response patients gave them is that family doctors all around the province are delivering excellent care.
“What we heard from patients in all corners of the province, including in Kingston and the surrounding area, is that family physicians are there for patients, providing care when they need it most,” Dr. Varughese said.
“We are thankful for the dedication and care that family physicians show to patients.”
Dr. David Pinkerton of the Kingston Family Health Team is one of the local doctors being recognized after a nomination from his patient Debbie Kirkey.
Kirkey gave Dr. Pinkerton for working tirelessly to advocate on his patients’ behalf, ensuring they get access to the care they need, something she’s experienced personally.
“When I was experiencing excruciating abdominal pain that just wouldn’t let up, Dr. Pinkerton, who believed it was gastroenteritis, encouraged me to call if my symptoms got worse,” Kirkey said.
“Two days later, I was back in his office with new symptoms. He left the examining room and contacted a surgeon at Kingston General Hospital and sent me right to the ER. I had emergency surgery that evening for an incarcerated hernia in an old surgical scar. After I was discharged from the hospital, Dr. Pinkerton visited me to make sure I was receiving the proper homecare I needed.”
OCFP also used the opportunity to highlight the need for more family physicians in the province, with roughly 2.5 million Ontarians currently without access to a family doctor.
