Kirkfield’s only family doctor will be relocating her practice to Orillia as of November 1, 2018.
Dr. Kinga Koprowicz has been operating her family practice out of the Kirkfield Medical Centre, which is owned by the City of Kawartha Lakes.
According to a media release from the city issued today (August 3), Dr. Koprowicz has had use of the building at no cost for several years and, to date, has not been willing to enter into a lease agreement with the city.
The media release states that the city proposed a lease agreement at “fair market value” to Dr. Koprowicz with a timeline of January 2019.
“Unfortunately, Dr. Koprowicz has chosen to relocate to Orillia,” the release states. “The City regrets the decision made by Dr. Koprowicz and recognizes the loss of a family doctor in the area and the resulting disruption this causes current patients.”
Orillia is located about 44 kilometres from Kirkfield. The city states that patients who chose not to remain under Dr. Koprowicz’s care at her new practice in Orillia can register with Health Care Connect to find another family doctor. More information is available at www.ontario.ca/page/find-family-doctor-or-nurse-practitioner.
In addition to her family practice in Kirkfield, Dr. Koprowicz also specializes in medical cosmetic services. According to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario website, she also practices at the Canadian Centre For Integrative Medicine in Markham and the City Centre Medical Clinic in Barrie.
Also according to the website, in 2017, the college conducted an investigation into whether Dr. Koprowicz “failed to maintain the standard of practice of the profession and/or was incompetent in her prescribing of controlled substances, including narcotics.” As a result of the investigation, the college imposed a number of practice restrictions on Dr. Koprowicz as of August 26, 2017, including a 12-month period of clinical supervision and professional education in the prescribing of controlled substances.
The Kawartha Lakes Health Care Initiative (KLHCI), with support from the City of Kawartha Lakes, is pursuing the recruitment of a replacement doctor in Kirkfield.
“Kawartha Lakes Health Care Initiative is continuing to recruit new doctors for the city,” says Cindy Snider, Recruitment and Retention Coordinator, KLHCI. “There is potential for other doctors to take in new patients to fill the need in Kirkfield.”
The village of Kirkfield, located in the City of Kawartha Lakes between Balsam Lake and Lake Simcoe, is home to Lock 36 of the Trent-Severn Waterway and is the birthplace of Canadian railway, transit, and electrical entrepreneur William Mackenzie.
