Nanaimo faces a continued shortage of doctors that is not matching population growth in the region. No family doctors locally are currently accepting new patients, according to the Nanaimo Division of Family Practice. (Freepik)

By Alex Rawnsley

DOCTOR NO

Nanaimo faces physician squeeze as doctor numbers outpaced by population growth

Sep 24, 2019 | 8:08 AM

NANAIMO — It is becoming increasingly harder to find a family doctor in Nanaimo.

According to census data, the city saw 7.1 per cent population growth between 2011 and 2016, however the amount of doctors to keep that population healthy has remained relatively stable.

Nanaimo Division of Family Practice reports 91 physicians currently practice in Nanaimo, with 16 more full time positions and one part time opening available.

Executive director of the division Leslie Keenan told NanaimoNewsNOW there are currently only a few options for people needing care who don’t have a regular family doctor.

“There’s nothing they can proactively do in terms of securing a spot…it is first come first serve. What we advise, is that the only option they have available is a walk in clinic, or if it’s urgent they can visit the urgent care facility or go to the hospital.”

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Keenan said they are not aware of any family doctors in the region currently accepting new patients.

She said as BC’s population ages the complexity of care increases, which dictates the number of patient’s a doctor can take on.

Keenan said the family doctor shortage problem only stands to get worse.

“We had information from the City of Nanaimo where they said the growth in residential construction over the past year has increased by 30 per cent, so you can see there is an on going and increasing need for family physicians in the community.”

Recruitment efforts are ongoing by the division, including the hiring of a full-time recruitment coordinator. However, despite best efforts, the division has only been able to sustain levels compared to recent years.

“We attend primary care conferences to connect directly with physicians, we’ve gone to a few in Vancouver and Ontario, as well as England and Ireland because there are physicians from the National Health Service that are interested in opportunities in Canada.”

Recruitment efforts are also focused on new graduates, in attempts to entice early career physicians to the area where they could practice for more than 30 years.

“Early career physicians find Nanaimo a very attractive community to settle in. It’s still small enough that it feels like a small town versus a city, combined with the natural beauty of Nanaimo and the Island.”

However even that strategy has drawbacks. Overhead costs like hiring staff, renting space and equipment are preventing younger doctors from running their own show.

“We hear from early career physicians, they want some work-life balance. They want to work in a team based care environment, they have significant debt loads by the end of their residency and they’re more interested in being an employee opposed to running a business.”

Keenan added overhead can account for more than 40 per cent of a physician’s income.

Where the division has seen some yards gained is selling the Island overall, rather than individual communities.

The eight divisions of family practice on Vancouver Island frequently cooperate in recruitment initiatives to try and bolster numbers across the board.

“We’ve had tremendous success with a regional recruitment effort, so if a physician lands in Port Hardy and wants to visit or work in clinics down Island, we can make connections with different physicians to make that experience really seamless.”

It’s hoped the existing bc211 phone service will act as a waitlist for a spot for a family physician in Nanaimo, however the feature is not expected to be available mid-to-late 2020.

alex.rawnsley@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alexrawnsley