P.E.I. premier ‘outraged’ over private clinic charging tourists hundreds of dollars for physician services

The premier of Prince Edward Island is expressing outrage over a private clinic charging patients hundreds of dollars out-of-pocket.PEIDoctor.com is a company that offers same-day non-emergency physician services and primarily targets international and out-of-province visitors to the island, as well as house calls to their hotel or cottage. But in a social media post last week, Premier Rob Lantz says he has directed the province’s Department of Health and Wellness services to “find a way to put a stop to” the company’s private pay operations.“Like many Islanders, I am outraged that this corporation is prioritizing for-profit healthcare services to tourists and non-residents, right here in our community,” he wrote. “They are doing so at the expense of providing care to Island families that need it.”PEIDoctor.com’s appointment fees range between $229 to $489, depending on the time of day and whether the appointment is being done virtually or in person. While they primarily target tourists, they offer some of their services—such as form completion, ADHD support and an “Understand My Health” educational program—to Islanders.However, Marius Croeser, CEO of the company, says he believes the premier is mistaken, and that none of the services offered to Islanders are within the scope of the Canada Health Act. “It seems to be a lack of understanding of what we can and cannot do,” Croeser told CBC News. “We can't do anything in the public health space. That's not our place . . . but we can do something around that to support it, and I think we can really help.”Croeser says there are two doctors working with PEIDoctor.com as independent contractors. One of the doctors, Dr. Janine Karpakis, told CBC News back in August that the patients she encounters through the services are “mostly people who've forgotten their medication at home and need a quick prescription” while on vacation.In addition to international visitors, PEIDoctor.com has also been targeting travellers from Quebec, setting up a French-language website and advertising physician services in both official languages.

P.E.I. premier ‘outraged’ over private clinic charging tourists hundreds of dollars for physician services

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