VICTORIA, B.C. – The B.C. Green Caucus is calling for the BC NDP to immediately act on the family doctor crisis in British Columbia. Between 750,000 to 900,000 British Columbians are without a family doctor and the shortage is predicted to only grow. The government needs to urgently improve their outdated payment model and remove administrative barriers to keep family doctors in their communities.
“The billing model is very outdated and does not provide the stability needed for good medical care,“ said Sonia Furstenau, Leader of the B.C. Greens and MLA for Cowichan Valley.
“Doctors are basically running a small business instead of putting their focus into caring for their community members. The current fee-for-service model is turning prospective doctors away from family practice and British Columbians are the ones bearing the burden. This government needs to explore models of practice that maintain or improve the current level of in-person, in-community care that doctors are providing.”
“The goal of public health care is for all British Columbians to have access to quality, in-person, longitudinal health care. The BC NDP has created Urgent and Primary Care Centres but these are failing to achieve this goal.
“New graduates want to work as part of a team, and they want consistent salaries, time with their young families, and to focus on providing healthcare instead of running a small business. After speaking with family doctors and patient advocates, it is clear what a next step forward must be.”
The BC Green Caucus is calling on the BC NDP to:
- Modernize the outdated fee-for-service payment model to ensure better care for British Columbians.
- Expand alternative payment models to better reflect the demand for in-person, longitudinal, and team-based care.
“This would reward physicians for providing quality health care while letting them stay independent of government. We need to make it desirable to be a family doctor in British Columbia.
“We should be rewarding physicians for providing quality health care, and that begins with a care-first funding model. We should be working to make it desirable to be a family doctor in British Columbia. We need family doctors to want to work in this province, so that people get the care they need and lead healthier, more fulfilled lives."
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Media contact
JoJo Beattie
Press Secretary
B.C. Green Caucus
+1 250-882-6187 | [email protected]