Dollars Set Aside to Recruit Doctors

By 250 News

The Province   is putting $10 million dollars into  a program to try and recruit physicians .

The program has been worked out with the BC Medical Association to try and  get 90 Doctors to locate in  specific communities.

The plan "Family Physicians for British Columbia (FPs4BC) " encourages physicians to set up practice in under serviced areas of the province.  It provides up to $100,000 in financial support to help pay off student debt and to cover the costs of setting up practice.

In exchange, each doctor would agree to a three year return of service and to accept new and orphan patients.

"Competition for physicians in North America is fierce, so we need to be strategic in attracting and retaining them if we hope to have enough physicians to take care of our growing and aging population," said Dr. Margaret MacDiarmid, president of the BC Medical Association.

Northern Health has identified 17 communities  under its umbrella which need  physicians, and Mackenzie is at the top of the list.  But the program  has only  set aside  enough funding to  bring 7  doctors into the  Northern Health region.

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