Demonstrators took to the steps of the Ministry of Health building in downtown Victoria on Wednesday afternoon (Aug. 10) with a crystal clear message: everyone deserves a family doctor.
Camille Currie, founder of the organization BC Health Care Matters, said the provincial government can no longer afford to ignore the shortage of family doctors.
B次元官网网址淲e canB次元官网网址檛 continue to wait, we need action on this crisis now,B次元官网网址� she told Black Press Media. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 affecting our primary care system. ItB次元官网网址檚 affecting our hospitals. ItB次元官网网址檚 affecting ambulances. ItB次元官网网址檚 affecting everything in the health system, so for them to sit idle is no longer acceptable.B次元官网网址�
According to the BC College of Family Practice, nearly one million British Columbians are without a family doctor. An additional 40 per cent worry about losing the doctor they currently have.
But the problem isnB次元官网网址檛 a lack of qualified medical professionals. There are plenty, in fact. B.C. has about 6,800 physicians trained in family medicine, yet only about half of them work as family doctors providing the cradle-to-grave care thatB次元官网网址檚 becoming increasingly difficult to access.
Those who donB次元官网网址檛 practice family medicine often elect to specialize, work in a hospital or simply leave the province all together. ThatB次元官网网址檚 because they canB次元官网网址檛 make a fair wage that reflects their value to patients, according to Dr. Bridget Reidy.
Reidy, a practising family doctor and member of Family Doctors for Patient Care, was among the group of protesters calling on the province to take immediate action. If it doesnB次元官网网址檛, she said, sheB次元官网网址檚 unsure how much longer the healthcare system can remain afloat.
B次元官网网址淭hose of use who have family practice credentials can make two to three times more doing anything but primary continuing care. And thatB次元官网网址檚 why 40 per cent of British Columbians are afraid that their doctors will quit,B次元官网网址� she said.
B次元官网网址淐ontinuing primary care saves more lives than specialty medicine B次元官网网址� if you want to get a diagnosis of cancer, it requires more than one visit usually, it requires follow-up care. So even the healthy sometimes need continuing care.B次元官网网址�
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