By Emily Stonehouse
As of May 15, over 300 Haliburton County residents will be without a family doctor.
In a press release shared on April 1, the Kinmount District Health Services (KDHS) announced that Dr. M. Van Der Leden, who joined the practice in late 2024 before starting with patients in February, 2025, has moved on.
Lois Jackson, the chair of KDHS, noted that all patients of Dr. Van Der Leden have been contacted directly for information regarding final appointments and medical records. “While everyone is disappointed that the KDHC is losing a doctor, we are hopeful that people will be able to find a primary care provider by registering with Health Care Connect,” she added.
Dr. Van Der Leden was one of two physicians at the Kinmount clinic, which has become a community healthcare hub over the years. On top of family medicine, the facility also offers advanced foot care, dental hygiene, physiotherapy, and a well-stocked pharmacy.
The site resides outside the boundaries of Haliburton County, but saw a spike in local attendance following the closure of the Minden Emergency Room in June of 2023.
While Dr. Van Der Leden did not comment on her departure, Wendy Welch, the physician recruitment coordinator for Haliburton County, noted the sudden absence during her presentation to County Council in late March.
Welch had noted the current Haliburton County waitlist for a family doctor hovers around 1,000 names. “These numbers don’t take into consideration the situation in Kinmount,” she said during the meeting, “where 300 Haliburton County residents will be de-rostered in May as a result of Dr. Van Der Leden’s exit. So, you can see this waitlist number is very fluid.”
“The Kawartha Lakes Haliburton Ontario Health Team is working closely with Dr. Ponraja at the Kinmount and District Health Centre and other local providers to accommodate Dr. Van Der Leden’s patients as quickly as possible,” reads the KDHS press release.
KDHS is primarily run through their foundation, which organizes fundraising initiatives and is active in their physician recruitment process. The volunteer-run group has been active since 1995, and became incorporated in the fall of 2000. Their primary fundraisers are the Journey for Health community walk/run hosted every summer, and their annual Christmas Appeal over the holidays.
There is a current active listing for an additional physician posted on their website, with the start-time requested for immediately.
While locals across the county may now be scrambling for a physician, Jackson encourages all those seeking support to reach out to Health Care Connect. The Ontario Ministry of Health program is designed to help residents find a dcotr or nurse practitioner, either in or around their home base.
Registration with Health Care Connect can be completed by calling 811, and is available 24-hours a day, seven days a week. Individuals will need their health card number and will be asked to provide basic personal and health information, noted the KDHS press release.
The information of Dr. Van Der Leden’s departure arrived at the same time Welch announced the start of a new family physician in Haliburton, Dr. Jeet George, who will be starting a full-time practice in the area, with three days per week with the Highlands Family Health Organization, and one day per week in the Emergency Department at Haliburton Highlands Health Services. Dr. George will be starting on May 1.
Welch noted that in an effort to combat the lengthy waitlist for a family physician, there is a need for two additional family physicians to bring their local staffing level to a full complement.
