COLLINS : Money for docs just a first step

Nov 2, 2022 | 4:57 AM

A MAJOR CHANGE in the way family doctors are paid should be a major step forward in the fight for more primary care physicians in the province.

The money will be used to move away from the fee-for-service model and pay doctors based on more than just how many patients they see in a day.

The details are all contained in media releases and on websites, so let’s simply look at a few basic facts.

Family doctors will become the best-paid in the country. That should be an incentive for docs to move and stay here.

It will allow them to properly staff their offices so they can concentrate more on their patients.

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They may be able to increase their patient load. If they can, that could mean, for example, patients in Kamloops could see a doctor in Kamloops rather than having to drive to Logan Lake, Ashcroft or Sun Peaks.

It’s a good first step.

And that’s all it is, a first step. I haven’t seen any concrete moves to keep doctors in rural areas, or anywhere outside the Lower Mainland, for that matter.

We still need more doctors coming out of medical schools and willing to go into family practice, we still need to find support staff- nurses, lab workers, etc., to augment the work of the doctors.

This is only a much-needed first step in the way we deliver care to those in need. But as a first step, it’s not bad.

I’m Doug Collins and that’s One Man’s Opinion.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.

by Doug Collins

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COLLINS : Money for docs just a first step

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