Dr. Ken White will close his family practice at the Kensington Health Centre in Kensington, Prince Edward Island, on July 3, 2026, leaving 1,375 patients without a family doctor, Health P.E.I. said.
Health and Wellness Minister Cory Deagle confirmed the departure in the legislature on May 20, 2026. As of that date, no physician had been lined up to take over the practice, so those patients will be added to the provincial patient registry.
The registry stood at 34,621 people as of April 30, 2026, which is about one in five Islanders. Deagle said recruiting family doctors to P.E.I. has been extremely difficult, and he said it may be five to six years before the new UPEI medical school starts easing the shortage.
Kensington-Malpeque MLA Matthew MacKay, who is also a patient of Dr. White, raised the issue in the legislature and said he and his family will also be added to the registry. Dr. White, who is from South Africa and trained in New Zealand, began practising in Kensington in March 2020.
The departure adds to wider pressure on primary care across the Island. Three other doctors recently announced they were leaving their practices, affecting about 4,500 more patients.
