‘It’s a solution’; City-run medical clinic a potential game-changer for Kamloops residents looking for doctors

KAMLOOPS — The city of Colwood, just outside of Victoria on Vancouver Island, may help provide a solution to the doctor crisis in Kamloops. That city recently opened a municipally owned and operated medical clinic, with eight doctors now employed. Councillor Kelly Hall wants to see Kamloops replicate and expand that model into Kamloops, where currently about 40,000 residents are without a family doctor.

Council voted unanimously in support of Hall’s notice of motion for staff to bring a business case back to the horseshoe for the creation of a city-owned medical clinic.

“It’s innovative, it’s creative, and it’s a solution to bring doctors to our city, much needed to the city of Kamloops, so I hope you support this motion. Thank you,” said Hall during Tuesday’s (May 6) council meeting.

The model has taken root in Colwood, where that community has successfully attracted eight new doctors to the city to work in the clinic.

“I would like to thank Mayor Doug Kobayashi for meeting with me from the City of Colwood. He is graciously going to allow us the opportunity to utilize his business case. He has given us access to his past CAO to help — the fellow that put it together,” said Hall.

It’s important to note that through the new payment model introduced by the NDP government, all costs would be forwarded to the province.

“What we are allowed to do by opening a clinic like this is we will be able to have the costs reimbursed from the province to the municipality for services provided by the doctors. The hope and understanding is it’s a zero taxation (project),” responded Hall to a question from Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson.

The city would also look into taking control of more of the day-to-day business aspects, allowing the doctors to be doctors, first and foremost.

“One thing that physicians have said over and over is that they didn’t go to medical school to run businesses. That is not what they have time for, it’s not their expertise, they have no interest in it,” said Councillor Katie Neustaeter in support of the motion. “Innovative solutions like this that can take away that burdensome cost and allow them to actually focus on providing health care are a very good thing.”

While recruitment is always a challenge, Colwood received more than 100 applications to help fully staff its clinic.

“You’re right, you don’t want to rob Peter to pay Paul. In the business case that they presented, the City of Colwood, they were recommending hiring doctors from outside the province of B.C. There is an upswing of doctors, surprisingly, wanting to come from the United States to take up residence in Canada,” said Hall.

While no firm date was set, Hall expects the business case to come together quickly over the next few months before returning for council consideration.