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September 13, 2017 - 6:30 PM
KAMLOOPS - With thousands of Kamloops residents still waiting for a family doctor, it looks like some progress is being made.
A spokesperson for B.C.'s Health Ministry says in an email statement that about 2,200 people in Kamloops have been connected to a primary care provider, whether it's a nurse practitioner or a family doctor.
But about 6,800 are still on HealthLink B.C.'s 8-1-1 waitlist for Kamloops residents searching for a family doctor. The list was set up last November because thousands of people in the city having no access to a family doctor.
"Residents are attached to primary care in chronological order, however a prioritization process is being developed for individuals identified at the hospital or in the community who require urgent access," the statement says.
The ministry says there are 16 nurse practitioners in the city, and points out five new family doctors have come to Kamloops as part of the Practice Ready Assessment program.
Yet people on the 8-1-1 wait list aren't being connected to those doctors, according to the North Shore facility they practice out of. The clinic's manager told iNFOnews.ca last month the doctors brought in under the program are not part of Interior Health.
"We continue to work with the Thompson Region Division of Family Practice and Interior Health to bring more primary care providers to the community so Kamloops residents can get the care they need when they need it," the ministry states.
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