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Image Credit: ADOBE STOCK
October 18, 2023 - 12:19 PM
Residents of Merritt, Oliver and Salmon Arm should soon be getting better access to emergency care.
The BC government said today has committed $7.5 million to fund the stabilization of physicians coverage in emergency rooms of the rural communities according to a news release.
“BC, like all jurisdictions in Canada, is facing recruitment and retention challenges that were exacerbated by the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing toxic-drug crisis and the rising number of patients with complex healthcare needs, and we know that these challenges are more prominent in rural and remote communities,” Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, said in the release. “That is why we are taking immediate actions to bolster the recruitment of more physicians for our patients and their care teams.”
The budget for this commitment was approved between Sept. 29 and Oct. 10, and Interior Health is working with Nicola Valley Hospital and Health Centre in Merritt, Shuswap Lake General Hospital in Salmon Arm, and the South Okanagan General Hospital in Oliver on the contracts for emergency services. Those hospitals have together announced dozens of closure over the past year due to staffing shortages.
“We’re pleased to be moving forward with new compensation models for physicians in our rural communities,” said Susan Brown, president and CEO of Interior Health, in the release. “This is another step forward to stabilizing health services for rural residents as it will support our recruitment efforts going forward.”
These contracts will compensate physicians for time spent at the hospital with patients requiring urgent care which the province hopes will help recruit more doctors. This represents a move from the current “fee-for-service” payment model in which doctors are currently paid based on the number of patients they see in a day.
This new payment method should benefit patients and nurses in these rural hospitals and help all emergency rooms remain open.
“These significant investments will help stabilize emergency-department services due to staffing shortages in Oliver, Merritt and Salmon Arm,” said Roly Russell, MLA for Boundary-Similkameen. “Our acute-care centres are essential for ensuring residents get the care they need when they need it, and close to home. This new service contract with physicians, along with the multitude of other current actions, will support our healthcare professionals and build a stronger foundation for a more reliable and stronger rural healthcare system.”
This announcement is part of BC’s Health Human Resources Strategy announced last month in which 70 key actions to recruit, train and retain health-care workers are put forth.
“Through our Health Human Resources Strategy, we are also committed to train, recruit and retain more people into our workforce, including providing incentives to attract physicians working in rural communities such as Merritt, Salmon Arm and Oliver.”
The announcement also comes after Merritt announced they might withhold taxes due to the severe hospital closures they were experiencing.
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