BC doctor drought
Rob Gibson - Dec 12, 2017 - BC Biz

Image: Contributed

A new UBC study suggests B.C.’s serious doctors shortage is only likely to get worse.

The diagnosis is not positive for those British Columbians searching for a family physician.

The study indicates B.C. doctors are retiring earlier than doctors in other provinces and 40 per cent of practicing physicians are at or near retirement age of 65.

Another factor contributing to the shortage is that doctors aren’t working the extreme hours previous generations did, especially as they approach retirement.

“Traditionally, physicians who would’ve graduated 30, 40, 50 years ago were 100 per cent dedicated to their work life,” said Victoria physician Dr. Jane Papp. “Perhaps not to their health, their own personal health or to their family life.”

Doctors for BC says part of the solution lies in what it calls team-based care, a collaborative approach that would take some of the workload off doctors.

The province is also pursuing the team-based approach, with the Ministry of Health saying in a statement that it has “great potential” to help more people access care and is one of the ministry’s top priorities.

The peer-reviewed study, which was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, examined a total of 4,572 physicians in B.C.


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