Editor:
I am a family doctor practicing in Chilliwack.
I am worried about the patients in our community because the increasing scarcity of community family docs.
Family doctors are more than just healthcare providers - we are small business owners who run our clinics. And our clinics need more support to be able to continue providing care, including appropriate funding for staff salaries, lease costs, and supplies. We also need to modernize how we fund and operate clinics, so that family doctors can spend more time with patients.
The growing amount of paperwork for family doctors is taking us away from providing patient care. We need to create healthy working conditions for family doctors, including reducing administrative burdens and providing substitute/locum physicians for when we are away. Supporting family doctors will result in healthier patients and communities.
Almost 900,00 British Columbians do not have a family doctor - and that number is growing every day. We need action to ensure that British Columbians can receive the care that they need and deserve. Everyone deserves a family doctor.
Darren Joneson