A Comox Valley doctor is asking Comox council for a moratorium on high density and large residential builds until a Valley-wide plan is enacted to bring more family doctors to the area.
Dr. Jonathan Reggler told councillors at the April 20 meeting that 11,500 residents do not have a family physician, based on numbers collected by the Comox Valley Division of Family Practice.
The ValleyB次元官网网址檚 population (74,000) is increasing by 1,200 people every year, and within the province, the median number of patients per physician is 1,228.
He said the Comox Valley is short nine physicians, and with growth, that will become 10 in 2023; the numbers donB次元官网网址檛 take into account retirement or doctors moving out of the Valley.
Within the past two months, he told council 2,500 Valley residents lost their family physician due to retirement and the death of family physician Dr. Brad Harris, who had 1,300 patients.
B次元官网网址淢ost are now medically on the streets - they are medically homeless,B次元官网网址� he added. B次元官网网址淲alk-in clinics are at a breaking pointB次元官网网址� many of the ValleyB次元官网网址檚 physicians are approaching retirement.B次元官网网址�
He explained all three municipal councils have a responsibility to the health and well-being of their respective citizens, and that they should not continue to approve high-density developments without having a credible, achievable, funded plan to recruit family physicians.
Reggler noted the Valley is in competition with hundreds of communities across B.C. and Canada that are doing a great job enticing physicians to work there rather than here.
B次元官网网址淢unicipalities have to understand having a pretty glacier, a ski hill, a coastline and a marina is not enoughB次元官网网址� itB次元官网网址檚 this councilB次元官网网址檚 job to take care of the people of Comox and to work hard with the other municipalities to fix the problem.
B次元官网网址淵ou canB次元官网网址檛 ask the fire department to put out a house fire if no one is stopping people from chucking Molotov cocktails or throwing logs into the flames.B次元官网网址�
Reggler offered council a variety of options they could consider to entice doctors to come to the Valley including signing bonuses, student debt forgiveness, funding visits and turn-key clinics in new builds above a certain size. He added councils must stop new buildings from bringing thousands of new people to the Valley until the areaB次元官网网址檚 medical services can look after them.
B次元官网网址淚t makes no sense; itB次元官网网址檚 nuts. And most of all, itB次元官网网址檚 irresponsible and reckless with this communityB次元官网网址檚 health - something no council should be.B次元官网网址�
Mayor Russ Arnott asked Reggler in response what he believes the answer should be, as he said collectively, the municipalities are trying to do the best they can.
B次元官网网址淵ouB次元官网网址檙e putting a lot of pressure on this council to resolve an issue that has built up over the yearsB次元官网网址� This councilB次元官网网址檚 responsibility is to take care of the residents and to take care of the infrastructure, garbage, policing, land use. We are very mindful of the challenges that are going on.
WeB次元官网网址檙e getting a lot of pressure to resolve things that are outside our ability to fix.B次元官网网址�
Reggler noted the problem is complex, but told Arnott if the town doesnB次元官网网址檛 approve large builds, then people wonB次元官网网址檛 move to the area in the numbers in which they are currently moving.
B次元官网网址淒ensity is the wayB次元官网网址� density is what (the community) wants. Am I in favour of it? No. ThatB次元官网网址檚 whatB次元官网网址檚 being pushed upon us to approve - thatB次元官网网址檚 the challenges,B次元官网网址� added Arnott.
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