Patients lobby to keep P.E.I. doctor's practice(CBC News)

Patients of a prominent Charlottetown doctor who plans to shut down his practice are rallying to try to keep his clinic from closing.

Dr. Robbie Coull announced earlier this month that he will leave the province and close the Phoenix Medical Practice because the province would not fund a pilot project to keep his practice operating. The practice incorporated other health professionals — including a nurse practitioner and a pharmacist — in innovative ways.

His departure will leave 4,500 people without a doctor. The practice employed 14 people.

About a dozen of Coull's patients have formed a group called the Island Health and Patient Advocacy Association. They said they want the provincial government to know they still want the type of care Coull provided.

"It'd be wonderful if he could stay because we've been very happy with the service there, but we understand that's not going to happen," said Denise Bowman.

"The next best option, in my view, is that the clinic remains with his staff and the setup the way it was."

Many of Coull's patients are refugees from Bhutan and Nepal. Madan Kumar Giri, who is their translator, said many of them were deprived of medical care when they were refugees.

"Some people have come from such a place where they stayed in refugee camps for the last 20 years. No medical treatment at all," he told CBC News.

"When they came here, they got Dr. Coull after waiting for years and years. Now Dr. Coull is leaving and now refugee families, basically people who have come from Bhutan, Somalia, Afghanistan — they are feeling very sad."

The patients who have formed the Island Health and Patient Advocacy Association did not know each other before forming the group, but said they're upset and determined to effect change.

"It's just more a matter of thinking that you should do something rather than sit back and wait," said Shawn Bowman.

The patient group said its first order of business is getting as many people as possible to sign a petition demanding the type of collaborative care Coull offered.

They plan to distribute the petition to medical centres and pharmacies across Prince Edward Island and eventually take it to Health Minister Carolyn Bertram.

Coull said he will see patients with appointments scheduled through July and will wrap up his practice by October. He plans to return to his native Scotland.