Facing a family doctor shortage that shows no signs of ending, the B.C. government has announced $118 million in stabilization funding to help ailing practices stay afloat.
Health Minister Adrian Dix, who was joined by Doctors of BC president Dr. Ramneek Dosanjh, says the funding will help ensure patients have ongoing access to primary care.
“You’ll see in the coming days and weeks many other steps to increase access to both the number of primary care providers…but this is a necessary first step. It reflects the dozens and dozens of hours we’ve been working with Doctors of BC,” said Dix.
“It’s fair to say that our primary care system, which developed over a long period of time, that model no longer meets the needs of patients or doctors, so this is a demonstration of tangible action right now that brings immediate relief to family practices, and that’s good news for patients and for doctors.”
The funding amounts to about $27,000 per qualifying physician, Dix said and addresses the ongoing issue of overhead costs in the interim while the government and Doctors of BC construct a new compensation model that will be revealed this fall.
Of the $118-million fund, $75 million will come from the Ministry of Health and $43 million from the General Practices Services Committee, a group co-chaired by the ministry and Doctors of BC.
The funding period will last from Oct. 1, 2022, to Jan. 31, 2023, and will help family physicians and primary care clinics, including walk-in clinics, help pay for their overhead costs.
The funding amounts to about $27,000 per qualifying physician, Dix said and addresses the ongoing issue of overhead costs in the interim while the government and Doctors of BC construct a new compensation model that will be revealed this fall.
Of the $118-million fund, $75 million will come from the Ministry of Health and $43 million from the General Practices Services Committee, a group co-chaired by the ministry and Doctors of BC.
The funding period will last from Oct. 1, 2022, to Jan. 31, 2023, and will help family physicians and primary care clinics, including walk-in clinics, help pay for their overhead costs.
Dosanjh called the fund an “interim solution to help stop the bleeding” felt by family doctors and clinics until a longer-term solution is reached.
“Our family doctors are finding it more and more difficult as the increasing costs, the rising costs of businesses, and we know most family doctors, in their clinic the operational cost is between 30 to 40 percent and sometimes higher,” she said.
The province says around 3,480 family physicians in the province have their own practices, while 1,110 work in walk-in clinics, and all will be eligible for funding. Doctor groups have called on the province for support to help family doctors cover their overhead costs, like hiring administrative staff, leasing space, and maintaining electronic records systems, a suggestion that was echoed earlier this month by hopeful BC NDP leader David Eby. ...............