The unseen human costs of doctor shortages in rural N.L. – CBC
On the Baie Verte Peninsula, residents say the wait for a doctor feels endless
Mar 18, 2025
Miranda Penney remembers the moment with chilling clarity. She was standing in the emergency room at the Baie Verte Peninsula Health Centre, watching a screen as a doctor miles away pronounced her father, Terry Penney, dead.
“It’s almost cold and dehumanizing to have your loved one there in front of you passed away and you’re told that by a doctor on a TV screen,” said Penney.
Her dad was 63 at the time. She says he was a smart, hard-working man with a sharp sense of humour. Penney says her father didn’t have a family doctor, and was struggling to manage a condition called A1 antitrypsin deficiency for several years without a diagnosis. It’s a genetic condition that can lead to lung diseases.
Penney says her dad neglected his health needs because the hour-long travel to his local hospital was burdensome.
