Four new family doctors will join the Sunshine Coast community this fall, according to a Sept. 9 press release from the Sunshine Coast Division of Family Practice.
“Three of the doctors are fulfilling “Return of Service” (ROS) commitments, which means they are international medical graduates completing a two-year service contract in an underserved BC community…Additionally, we are welcoming a full-time permanent family doctor to Arbutus Clinic (5713 Dolphin Street, Sechelt) in November. These providers will be instructed to utilize the Health Connect Registry or centralized patient waitlist to create their patient panels,” the release stated.
Patients will be communicated with as they move up the list, said a division spokesperson Sept. 11, stressing that community members need to use the Health Connect Registry rather than contacting clinics directly. The centralized patient waitlist can be accessed by visiting hcr.healthlinkbc.ca or calling 8-1-1.
The division is hopeful the recent graduate doctors will put down roots and remain in practice on the lower Sunshine Coast for the long term as just over 6,000 patients on the Sunshine Coast's Health Connect Registry are waiting to be assigned a family doctor or nurse practitioner. The release noted that “statistically, retention rates for ROS physicians can range from 40-60% for them to stay in the community."
In 2023, the division joined forces with the Sechelt Hospital’s Medical Staff Association to form a recruitment and retention committee. On that committee are three family doctors, two part-time recruitment coordinators and a nurse practitioner.
Accelerated recruitment efforts from division physicians and local clinics over recent months saw five physicians interested in relocation visiting our area last month. The committee arranged for those prospects to tour clinics and the hospital, partake in recreational activities, and meet local physicians to explore the possibility of practicing on the Coast.
“Relocating to a new community is a major decision,” locally-based palliative care physician and recruitment team member Dr. Carmen Goojha noted. “Moving countries or provinces is no small feat – prospective clinicians must make sure that the Sunshine Coast is the right fit for both them and their families. I'm optimistic that a collaborative medical and community recruitment effort will make moving to the Sunshine Coast an easy decision.”
Recruitment to the Coast remains a challenge, given the province-wide shortage of family physicians, according to chair of the Division and co-convenor of the PCN Steering Committee, Dr. Rob Lehman. “We are competing for a limited pool of candidates. This fall, we plan to expand our recruitment efforts by partnering with local government and community organizations to offer more incentives and opportunities to attract prospective family doctors and nurse practitioners. Collaboration is essential in tackling this issue.”
An estimated 20 per cent of British Columbians are without a doctor.
