(File photo: CFJC Today).

By Stephanie Swensrude

GP SHORTAGE

Four-in-ten Kamloops residents now without a family doctor

Sep 27, 2022 | 4:32 PM

KAMLOOPS — New numbers from the Thompson Region Division of Family Practice (TRDFP) show that the family doctor shortage is twice as bad in Kamloops than the provincial average.

Tim Shoults, executive director of the TRDFP told CFJC Today that according to their research, 40,000 Kamloops residents are without a family doctor.

“You’ve heard the stat, nearly a million people in B.C. don’t have a family doctor, that’s about one-in-five. Here, we’re talking about four-in-ten. It’s an even more significant problem,” said Shoults.

In June, Kamloops council asked staff to look into providing financial incentives for doctors who move here to start a practice. Specifically, staff were considering a permissive tax exemption or a lump-sum payment, but that’s not allowed under provincial law, according to Sarah Candido, external relations liaison with the City of Kamloops.

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“The Community Charter guides everything the municipality does. Legally, we are not allowed to provide direct subsidies to business,” said Candido.

“Cities can provide benefit and subsidies around maintaining heritage property and things like that, but we can’t provide direct subsidies to businesses.”

The City is now looking at fast-tracking business licenses and other paperwork.

“Additionally, we’re looking at ways to creatively incentivize that don’t go in conflict with the Community Charter and that don’t add an additional burden to taxpayers,” said Candido.

“Are there pieces that we can work with other levels of government to advocate for that we haven’t yet? I think that’s where the strategy comes into play.”

“I really think a goal and task based strategy is needed for Kamloops. Similar to what we did during COVID, with the Mayor’s Task Force for Economic Recovery. I think we can move in that direction when it comes to physician recruitment and medical recruitment in general.”

Other communities are able to give some sort of financial help to doctors. For example, in Fort Nelson, B.C., doctors are given rent and utilities money for their first year. However, those perks are given through hospital boards or grants for rural communities. Kamloops isn’t a rural community but it isn’t a big city, either.

“We’re in a little bit of a gully, in that smaller communities have access to other tools to retain and recruit physicians and bigger municipalities, they have more services to offer,” said Shoults.

“Kamloops is in that middle and that’s what we’re trying to move up, get some parity.”

The next update on this matter will be in late fall or early winter when staff brief the newly elected city council.