Left Dr. Alan Ruddiman – next to SOGH chief of staff Peter Entwistle*
Physician shortages are felt around the world
• 81 of 120 countries surveyed report physician shortages
• 21% of Canadians are rural
• But only 9.4% of Canadian physicians are rural
• Compared to Australia where 15% physicians are rural, 30% population live in rural areas
• Rural Canadians have more illness
• Rural Canadians have shorter life expectancy
Where Do Physicians Come From?
Other Countries
1 in 4 Canadian physicians completed medical school outside of Canada
Canada has 17 Medical Schools
90% of medical students come from wealthy urban families
Medical schools promote specialist care and research
Medical schools require urban living for 7-8 years
Medical schools teach skills for urban practice
But change is slowly happening with rural campuses/training sites including UBCO
If you don’t grow up in a small town you probably won’t stay
If you don’t train in a small town you probably will not go to a small town even if you came from one
Spouse cannot find a job, school needs of kids not met, do not fit socially in community
Generational change
Why Don’t They Stay?
Funding:
Funds have come through the Government of BC via Doctors of BC and IHA, as well as directly from the Ministry of Health to provide:
Relocation expenses
Income support
Reduced/minimal overhead
Rural retention bonuses
Rural education support
Vacation relief/ locums
Physician Recruitment and Retention
Combined, Oliver and Osoyoos have 19 active physicians; two of whom have arrived since May
Recruitment is ongoing in Oliver and Osoyoos in anticipation of physician retirements and increased population in the area
In the South Okanagan, IH is working on a one-year partnership program between Penticton and
Oliver/Osoyoos Emergency Room physicians to enhance to community of practice, provide networking
opportunities and augment manpower while SOGH continues to recruit physicians
What is Being Done Locally?
Community Sustainability Plan – South Okanagan Similkameen
The intention of this project is for communities, both municipalities and First Nations, to combine their
existing strengths and resources to establish sustainable and patient-focused healthcare in the South Okanagan Similkameen (SOS) Rural Corridor.
$455,000 was approved to develop a practitioner collective, community coalition and develop rural corridor protocols over the next two years
What is being Done Locally?
Work in partnership with IH and local physicians to:
Help identify the ‘compelling’ story of this community
Assist in developing a ‘living’ recruitment and retention plan
Assist with finding accommodation for locums and new recruits
Develop strategies to help integrate the physician