Government has put a bureaucracy in charge instead of doctors, critics charge
This week, the B.C. Liberals called for an audit to address the “worsening dysfunction” of the urgent primary care clinics, while the B.C. Greens recommended keeping the clinic infrastructure but giving control back to the doctors.
Health Minister Adrian Dix has also said the clinics, staffed by teams of family doctors, nurses and nurse practitioners, could provide long-term and consistent care by “attaching” patients without a family doctor., leaving frustrated patients unable to see a nurse or doctor. In June, Dix said the province would offer new family doctors a $25,000 signing bonus plus a “new to practice” contract valued at $295,457 for the first year.
He points to such a system in Alberta, where the Health Ministry provides funding directly to family physicians to pay for the wages and space used by allied health professionals, such asHowever, there’s no indication B.C. is hitting pause on its expansion of urgent primary care clinics and primary care networks.