CORNWALL Ontario – Dr. Thomas Baitz has been practicing medicine in Cornwall for 40 years.
He arrived in our city in 1975 after training at the famed Mayo Clinic and studying in Edmonton after arriving from his native Hungary.
If you are treated via dialysis in Cornwall you probably owe some thanks to Dr. Baitz who during our interview truly highlighted why Doctors have “practices” as he focused on core issues like patient communication and the fiscal responsibilities of heath care by both the system and patients.
In early quotes he had said that he’d survived Hitler and Stalin and shared that while a young boy he saw first hand the impact of facism in Hungary only to see Communism arrive which led to his leaving with the wave of Hungarian immigration that came to Canada in the late 50’s.
Dr. Baitz has seen a lot of changes over the decades. In 1975 there were no such things as heart stents and while there are many environmental issues the average life span has increased.
He said that he has no plans to retire which is good news for his over 8,000 active patients. When asked if he’d served over 100,000 patients during his career he thoughtfully couldn’t come up with a number.
Chief of Staff of CCH, Lorne Scharf, considers Dr. Baitz a mentor who himself was chief of medicine at one point.
He still puts in a full shift at CCH and his practice at the McConnell Medical Center.
I am a patient of Dr. Baitz for blood clots and other issues. He is an excellent doctor. I wouldn’t change doctors.
Now what was that you were saying about our story content Hugger? 🙂
I guess ;(
Jamie I have known many very good Hungarians here in Ottawa and one family that I hold dear to me were neighbors nearby at the other apartment building where we used to live and they went back to Vancouver B.C. The younger girl was in kindergarden with my daughter all those years ago. The parents left Hungary in 1956 during the Communist uprising. I often think about them – such wonderful people. This doctor went through a great deal in Hungary during the Hitler years and knows what hardship is all about and look at him today he is a success. When you want to be somebody you can when you think about the hell that he went through and wanted to succeed. People in Canada do not know real hardship and lately on yahoo they showed a little four year old Syrian girl with her hands up in the air because she thought that the camera was a gun. I have seen kids in the snow in the mountains bare feet – they had no shoes and were not dressed for the climate. We have it really good here in Canada. All the best to Dr. Baitz.
The older guys keep the younger ones out, we lost a couple good internal med because of it I have been told
So Mary, the older, experienced doctors should be pushed out so younger doctors can practice? There is always a way if the doctor really wants it, especially in Ontario.
I say good for him. Young or old doesn’t matter as long as he can do it well, keep on. I think there’s lots of room in Cornwall if they truly wanted to stay Mary.
Older doctors are staying here longer because of the current shortage of doctors. The nonsense of Doctors keeping other doctors away is pure garbage. Do not believe everything you have been told. I have known Dr Baitz for a few years now and he is the hardest working doctor we have.
Nobody said that he was not a good Dr ,Gary you are so wrong,if you only knew who many DRS’ were ousted by senior Drs’ there is more than one doing this as well.These senior Drs do not have to retire but must allow younger drs’ to come into the hospitals as well but many will fight & stop them from coming into their same profession
Gary, there is no shortage of medical doctors. It’s just that a lot of them are specializing in more lucrative fields like cosmetic surgery and sports medicine. Money talks.
You cannot replace that older generation of doctors and they are the very best. Our GP is the age of Dr. Baitz and he takes his time to evaluate your condition. Here in Ottawa there is a huge shortage of medical doctors and the young people find the salary way too low and I agree but the patient comes first. If you want to get rich then you have to become a movie star otherwise forget it. Young people today are mighty spoiled and don’t care at all. The older generation is the best in everything.
Jules, stop it. The world just it isn’t right when I agree with you. It isn’t just Ottawa where there is a doctor shortage, its country wide. The older generation may be perceived as best at everything. But the younger generation is so technologically advanced that makes up the difference in advantage the older generation has.
Now now Hugger it is a mighty rare occasion when you and I agree on something. We usually have some sort of a battle or whatever here on CFN. I can’t help but laugh. Hugger the doctor shortage is all over Canada and that is true. My doctor is over 80 by the looks of him and we don’t know how long he will be around to practice medicine since he is going down hill. The young doctors can learn a lot from the older generations and the same goes for nurses to learn from the older ones. Yes technology has come a long way and the older doctors are not that in tuned with it. Jules, Jules, Jules there she goes again. LOL LOL. ROLF! Put up another gold star on your wall.
When my family doctor left town with two weeks notice and walkin clinic refused to renew my many prescriptions it was
Dr Baitz who stepped up.Based only a long detailed discussion about- my dire situation- Baitz gave me a six month supply until I could find another doctor.Till the day I die will always remember this help.
Little off topic but it is so funny to see Todd at the free ad newspaper “boasting” about knowing the name of Cornwall Police officers in trouble but he won’t publish.
Never heard a serious Journalist working this way.
It’s not much of a secret who the officer is Mel and I actually said the same thing. It’s funny how much Bill and Todd copy moi 😉
I have heard Dr. Baitz name mentioned among the town’s people of Cornwall when we lived there for a while and everyone that I met had very good things to say about him. We miss that kind of a doctor who takes the time with you and analyzes your particular situation. The other doctors today is all hurry up. One young doctor (a young woman here in Ottawa) who was working in a walk in clinic (not in my area at all) would literally kill a patient and I am not kidding. This doctor knew absolutely nothing at all and my daughter and I just picked ourselves up and walked right out of there and wondered where she got her medical degree. You all have to thank Dr. Baitz and anybody who is like him who is there to lend a helping hand. All the best wishes to Dr. Baitz.
I agree with Furtz there is no doctor shortage. The college of physicians serves who? and controls what? The province shovels the lions share of money into the administrative side of our health care system leaving a small amount in comparison for the patient delivery system. Think about it, despite the massive amounts fueling a broken system it remains broken. The health surcharge is going where? helping who? and as a result the answer at budget time is always the same..get rid of more RN’s. Yet the liberals have hired massive numbers of teachers in the last while at a time when enrollment is stable. Makes no sense but it is consistent with their approach over the last decade of their reign of terror.
Never in my wildest dreams, would I have ever thought that Dr. Baitz has a practice of 8,000 active patients. Having been under his care for some 39 years, I can attest to his dedication. Congratulations Dr. Tom on this great milestone !
A man without exception has a determination and reputation beyond that of the average. Whether or not your preferences for a Dr. Baitz as a Medical Internalist monitoring your life or a ‘fresher’ young buck you will be missing on one of our most practiced doctors in the history of our community. Sure, he has chacteristic’s some may consider not as polished as others and a dialect of specific fluencies with carefully scripted words of the English ‘rules’ of words, you have come to the right place. Dr. Baitz is a credible man who communicates directly to his patience. Congratulations Sir with a capital ‘S’. You well deserve the accolades expressed within.