A new medical clinic in Kelowna and the expansion of another in Lake Country is allowing residents to sign up for a family doctor.
Turtle Bay Medical Clinic is expanding in Lake Country, taking over empty space in the Turtle Bay Crossing complex. Once completed, the facility will house nine doctors, operations manager Kiffer Walker said. The current space has room for five.
Two of the doctors at the Lake Country location recently moved to the new clinic on Hillside Drive in Kelowna. Currently, four physicians are located at the Hillside Medical Clinic, which opened in June, and a fifth will be added in September, Walker said.
91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檝e been really lucky, we91裸聊视频檝e been able to recruit 10 physicians in the last year which is unheard of in B.C.,91裸聊视频� he said.
91裸聊视频淲e have a different way of operating which allows them to not have to worry about running a business91裸聊视频� we make it easy for them, they show up and get to be a doctor.91裸聊视频�
The renovations for Turtle Bay Medical will be completed by the end of September.
The Lake Country Family Practice is also getting another doctor in August, who is accepting patients, said administrative officer Marion Clarke.
In the past, she said it hasn91裸聊视频檛 been easy to get doctors in Lake Country as they aren91裸聊视频檛 looking for a standard practice.
She attributed the number of new doctors in the Central Okanagan to the lifestyle of the Okanagan, and how the doctors don91裸聊视频檛 have to worry about the administrative side of the practice while working at the family practice.
Dr. Eric Cadesky, president of Doctors of BC, agrees the Okanagan lifestyle may be one of the reasons why doctors are finding the location desirable.
91裸聊视频淗aving travelled to the Okanagan and knowing it91裸聊视频檚 one of the most beautiful parts of the world, and the doctors that are there are hard working, and dedicated and there91裸聊视频檚 an excellent community of doctors,91裸聊视频� he said.
With the aging population, the demands on doctors are increasing. The increase in treatment options is another factor that is contributing to a shortage in doctors Canada-wide, he said.
He said there is a need for innovation moving forward, with a balance between the public getting access to care and the doctors spending the most of their time doing their job.
New doctors in the area is good news for Interior Health, as it means patients won91裸聊视频檛 have to rely on the Kelowna General Hospital91裸聊视频檚 emergency department, said Central Okanagan Community Administrator Deborah Preston, with Interior Health.
91裸聊视频淲e want people to have consistent access to a doctor in the community who knows them and their specific needs. Additional physicians in Kelowna is good news for local residents and for the health care system,91裸聊视频� she said in a statement.
91裸聊视频淚n general, we would encourage individuals to contact their family physician or visit a walk-in clinic prior to visiting the emergency department if their situation is not an emergency,91裸聊视频� she said.
The NDP government also launched its new primary healthcare plan in May, with Premier John Horgan promising it will deliver faster and improved access to healthcare.
91裸聊视频淭he kind of care people need, and how it91裸聊视频檚 delivered, has to change. It91裸聊视频檚 no longer as simple as a doctor-patient relationship,91裸聊视频� said Horgan. 91裸聊视频淲e need to be looking forward and providing team-based care that better meets the needs of British Columbians.91裸聊视频�
The plan includes the NDP government91裸聊视频檚 election promise of 10 new urgent primary care centres to be set up over the next year and help take the pressure of hospital emergency rooms. Those will help people who don91裸聊视频檛 have a family doctor or nurse practitioner, as well as operate on weekends and hours outside of clinics.
The government will also look to expand the teleheath service that many patients in rural communities rely on to speak to a specialist, as well as to new digital home health monitoring systems.
91裸聊视频� With files from Ashley Wadhwani
carli.berry@kelownacapnews.com
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