VICTORIA, B.C. — Chetwynd and Fort Nelson are each getting a new doctor, says the Province.
11 internationally-trained physicians will begin practicing in rural and remote communities in B.C., including six family doctors in the North.
Quesnel is getting two doctors, and Chetwynd, Houston, Fort Nelson and Prince Rupert will each get one.
Health Minister Terry Lake says the Practice Ready Assessment BC program is one of several ways we are strengthening health care in local communities, especially in rural and remote areas of the province.
“Doctors in smaller communities provide a broad range of health care in their practices and hospitals that not only support the health and wellness of individuals, but the community as a whole,” he added.
The PRA program assesses internationally trained physicians for practice in B.C. It is funded for a total of $7.6 million by the Joint Standing Committee on Rural Issues – a collaborative committee of the Ministry of Health and Doctors of BC. It is part of the Province’s strategy to strengthen access to primary care throughout British Columbia. Funding for the program has been extended to March 2018.
Pat Pimm, MLA for Peace River North MLA Pat Pimm says new doctors not only bring their education and experience to support their patient’s health, but will also support those doctors already practicing in the area.
“We know that having a regular family doctor is an opportunity for health concerns to be addressed more proactively and can mean better health and wellness for patients,” he said.
“I know they are warmly welcomed.”
As part of the program, doctors undergo a rigorous assessment process, spending three months with a B.C. physician who evaluates their skills as they care for patients. Physicians successfully completing the program commit to practice for at least three years in a designated rural community in need. The new physicians will start practicing within the next month.
The province is working with health care providers, health authorities and community agencies on a comprehensive strategy to improve access to integrated primary health care services across the province. The Practice Ready Assessment program is one component of this strategy.
“Our collective efforts with Northern Health, the Ministry of Health, northern communities, Doctors of BC and other stakeholders to improve health care in the north are starting to show results,” said Mike Bernier, MLA for Peace River South.
“Through this work, we are seeing more doctors discovering the supportive communities of the North where they can establish their practice and homes.”
It also includes the work of more than 30 Divisions of Family Practice to implement innovative changes that meet the needs of their specific communities, such as recruiting new doctors and preparing for retirements, introducing team-based practices, helping general practitioners increase their capacity to accept new patients, using telehealth, and creating stronger links between family doctors and community support services.
The ministry has also introduced incentives for family doctors to care for more patients with complex care needs or frailty, and is exploring different types of practices in more rural areas, such as Fort St. John.
In addition, the province has introduced community paramedicine – expanding paramedics’ roles to support rural communities with some primary care – and is working with the First Nations Health Authority on a number of primary care projects specific to First Nations communities.