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January 03, 2018 - 7:30 PM
KAMLOOPS - Thousands of Kamloops residents have now been connected to a family doctor or nurse practitioner in the city.
According to the Ministry of Health, just over 5,000 people in the city have been connected to a primary care provider in a little more than a year, with more than 3,660 still on the wait list.
It's a stark difference from the 7,000 people who were on the HealthLink B.C. wait list at the end of August. The list went live in November 2016, when Kamloops residents could begin calling 8-1-1 to provide their information and, in time, be connected with a primary care provider.
"This steady decline in the wait list shows that this initiative is working," the Ministry says in an email statement to iNFOnews.ca.
According to the B.C. Nurse Practitioner Association, nurse practitioners are able to perform check-ups, diagnose health conditions, treat and manage illnesses or issues, prescribe treatment and medications, and provide referrals.
The previous provincial government opened the North Shore Primary Care Centre last March, which brought in nurse practitioners to fill the void in the city.
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