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Delta doctor sounds alarm on family physician crisis

Research shows almost one million British Columbians without a family doctor
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According to a BCCFP poll conducted in February, 40 percent of British Columbians who have a family doctor are worried they will lose them to a practice closure or retirement.

Dr. Kanwar Sidhu is adding his voice to a campaign calling for more British Columbians to have access to an ongoing relationship with a family doctor.

Sidhu hasn’t been accepting any new patients at his 12-year-old North Delta practice for some time. A waiting list has been created, but it’s only for family members of his current patients. He says it’s a familiar theme for most of his colleagues in the city and beyond.

“The BC College of Family Physicians (BCCFP) recently released a report confirming that almost one million British Columbians are without a family doctor,” said Sidhu. “As a family doctor, I care deeply about my own patients and about all those in my community who don’t have access to a family doctor who knows them and cares for them over time.”

According to a BCCFP poll conducted in February, 40 percent of British Columbians who have a family doctor are worried they will lose them to a practice closure or retirement.

Two-thirds of B.C. residents without a family doctor cite “can’t find one” as the reason, while another 19 percent say they don’t have a family doctor because their former doctor closed their practice. That’s a 100 percent increase from polling conducted three years ago.

“In the Delta area, and across the province, family medicine is in a state of crisis,” Sidhu continued. “Family doctors leaving their practices and new doctors aren’t entering comprehensive family medicine. Without more support from the health system, things will only get worse. For everyone in our community to have access to the care they need and deserve, we need a plan that supports and invests in family doctors in our province.”

Sidhu points out that family physicians spend upwards of 25 percent of their time charting, completing forms and managing referrals – time that could be better spent providing patient care.

“I would like to have more time seeing my patients so they are not having to wait as long,” he said. “But I do have to spend some of my time (doing) administration work. Unfortunately, that’s the way it is when you have your own practice.”

Sidhu said B.C. should be a very attractive destination for family doctors, since there would be no concerns about finding enough patients, but the system simply has to be better.

“We want to work with the provincial government to reduce administrative burdens and improve access to ensure everyone who wants a family doctor has that choice,” said Sidhu. “We need to create the conditions to recruit and retain more family doctors in the practice of family medicine.”

The BCCFP concerns comes with May 19 being Family Doctor Day, an opportunity to celebrate the relationship-based care that family doctors provide, and which evidence shows leads to better health outcomes over time.