A huge rally in Arborg Wednesday attracted most of the town. The gathering was in support of two rural doctors. The doctors say they are being forced to go elsewhere after a contract dispute with the regional health authority.

The signs said closed. Over the noon hour in Arborg, businesses shut down and employees were released from work, all to attend a rally.

A rally in support of 2 doctors, a married couple from South Africa.

After practicing here for 18 months, the Mullers have announced their resignation.

"It's the first doctors that we've had here that really, really care for you. We really worked hard for them to come and it would be awful if they ever left" says Arborg resident Tracey Finnson.

The Mullers say they were forced to accept an offer in Alberta because the Interlake Regional Health Authority would not cooperate on contract issues.

The Mullers say it came down to three things: There was no provision in the contract for maternity leave. There was no compensation for delivering babies and the contract made the physician pay for their own replacement during vacation.

"In other words we were stuck, we had to stay on contract to have a job and while on the contract we couldn't think of having a family" says Dr. Emile Muller.

The Health Authority thinks it can still find common ground.

"We don't see it as being an issue we can't resolve" says Kevin Beresford of the Interlake Regional Health Authority

The Mullers are skeptical because of how the health authority reacted to their resignation.

"They did not try to persuade us to stay they did not offer us anything their reaction was did you find something else" says Muller.

The people in Arbor say good health care in a town of a thousand is the life line of the community.

The clinic in Arbor serves 10 thousand people surrounding the community.

The regional health authority says it's open to negotiating. It says it will try to convince the Mullers to stay. People in the community wonder whether it's too late.