Whereas the provincial practice ready assessment program is attracting new physicians to rural communities; And whereas rural communities, including Logan Lake, have benefitted from the program; And whereas the doctor is encouraged to establish a private practice by securing patients, but is reluctant to do so because: -patients have secured physician services elsewhere given the lack of a doctor for several years in their home community and are hesitant to sign-on with the new local doctor as they fear losing the service once the return to service program concludes; -due to lack of staff, is hesitant to hire additional staff and begin a private practice due to a lack of patients; -existing staff are unable to respond to the influx of calls from new patients due to workload; -they have limited understandingknowledge of how to run a business in the province i.e. the current health care billing system or the sharing of patient files; And whereas the new doctor looks forward to moving on after 3 years to establish practice elsewhere where there are more patients: Therefore be it resolved that the Ministry of Health increase funding for the rural doctor program and establish a new support model for health provision for rural communities, with other possible solutions including: -re-establishing a local advisory council or ensuring site managers attend facilities in a timely and on a more regular basis, particularly during the transitional period of the arrival of a new doctor, during staff changeover, or to provide leadership and support to existing staff, so that Interior Health is better informed about what is happening in their rural communities; -incentivizing rural community graduates seeking health care training whereby a student obtains a specified number of years free post-secondary education in exchange for returning to their home community for a specified number of years; or -providing additional and adequate support to rural doctors in the form of additional office staff andor seed money to bridge establishing a private practice.
Ministry of Health The Ministry, in partnership with the Doctors of BC, has established the Practice Ready Assessment BC PRA-BC program to create a pathway for experienced International Medical Graduatess to gain licensure in BC.1 The PRA-BC program works closely with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BCto ensure family physicians meet BCs high standards for patient care, quality andsafety. In its first two years of operations, PRA-BC has placed 73 family physicians in rural communities identified by the regional health authorities. The Ministry is aware that some PRA-BC candidates have had difficulty establishing their practices due to a variety of issues including socialcultural concerns, lack of experience operating a small business and a lack of familiarity with the Canadian health care system. Ministry staff are undertaking work with the regional health authorities and partners such as the Doctors of BC, Rural and Remote Division of Family Practice and the Rural Coordination Centre of BC to identify areas of concern for internationally educated physicians, improve integration of existing physician support and mentoring programs and, where necessary, develop new programs to ensure IMGs are successful in British Columbia. A key component of this work is identifying the role of local government and community agencies to help with community readiness for new physicians to help ensure their success. New-to-Practice family physicians can access the Practice Support Program2 which provides a suite of educational and on-site supports to improve physicians clinical practice as well as practice management. The Joint Standing Committee on Rural Issues JSC, a joint committee of Doctors of BC, Ministry of Health and Health Authorities, oversees a comprehensive set of programs to attract and retain physicians in rural BC.3 It is the goal of the JSC to enhance the availability and stability of physician services in rural and remote areas of the Province by addressing some of the unique and challenging circumstances faced by physicians in these areas. Included in the programs supported by JSC that family physicians practicing in an eligible rural community are eligible for include the Recruitment Incentive Program a lump sum payment upon recruitment, Recruitment Contingency Fund which helps cover the cost of moving expenses, site visits, etc, Rural Retention Program agenerous premium on all fee-for-service claims submitted by the physician and an annual lump sum amount for physicians who reside and practice in the community, and Rural Continuing Medical Education Fund annual allowance for ongoing education and training. 1 http:prabc.ca 2 http:www.gpscbc.cawhat-we-doprofessional-developmentpsp 3 http:www2.gov.bc.cagovcontenthealthpractitioner-professional-resourcesp…