British Columbia’s health minister announced Wednesday $118 million in interim funding to support the province’s family doctors.
Adrian Dix says the funding will help stabilize BC’s primary care system as the province builds a new compensation model for doctors.
Dix said the four-month program, which will begin Oct. 1, will help address the overall cost problem facing family physicians.
“I think it’s fair to say that our primary care system, which was developed over a long period of time, that model no longer meets the needs of patients, meets the needs of physicians,” he said. “So this is a demonstration, a tangible action right now that brings immediate relief to family practices.”
The total of $118 million in funding is available to about 3,480 family doctors who have their own practices and 1,100 who work in walk-in clinics.
Dix said doctors who earn salaries and don’t pay any overtime won’t qualify.
Part of the idea behind the payment is to close the gap between family doctors who pay for a practice’s operating costs with their earnings and hospitalists, who may have the same training but work in a hospital, Dix said.
“They’re actually paid a lot more than someone who works in longitudinal family practice, in full-service family practice. So what this does for that period is address that particular problem,” Dix said.
A new compensation model designed to attract and retain family physicians will be introduced in the fall, Dix said.
Dr. Ramneek Dosanjh, president of Doctors of BC, called the funding “a first step” in helping family doctors, saying it recognizes the complexity of longitudinal care. Operating costs have risen to consume an average of 30% to 40% of a family doctor’s income, he said, and have caused many to leave their practices.
Dr. Ramneek Dosanjh, president of Doctors of BC, called the one-time funding a positive “first step” as the province works toward a new compensation model for family doctors. (Justine Boulin/CBC)
“We have a lot of work ahead of us to get long-term solutions, to help the primary health care system in this province, but I think we’re one step closer to getting there,” Dosanjh said.
Funding consists of $75 million from the ministry of health and $43 million from the General Practice Services Committee, which was established through the master physician agreement and is co-chaired by the ministry of health and BC physicians .
The application process will be simple, and doctors who apply in September should receive their funds in October, Dix said.
Almost one million British Columbians do not have a family doctor.