The year 2018 was my first full year serving as Island Health’s board chair and included the appointment of our new president and CEO Kathy MacNeil. We are both drawn to Island Health’s vision of providing excellent health and care for everyone, everywhere, every time. The focus on “health and care” is critical …
Read MoreFor those of you who were unable to attend our town hall in September, and for those that did and want to refresh their memory of the discussion, a couple of videos that were made with Peter McKenna are now available here …
Read MoreSalt Spring residents currently without a family doctor will benefit from the addition of three new practitioners to the island in September. Island Health and the Rural and Remote Division of Family Practice – Salt Spring Island Chapter stated they “are pleased to extend a warm welcome” to the doctors, all of whom have joined…
Read MoreAlthough I suggest that Dr. Chris Pengilly’s description that family physicians are paid a gross fee to provide medical care is perhaps not the best way to characterize the dominant fee-for-service model, I agree wholeheartedly with his critique of this payment mechanism as a highly inefficient way of delivering care to individuals with multiple complex…
Read MoreDr. W. Gifford-Jones suggests that family doctors are worth their weight in gold (column, July 22). In my case, that would come to $4,238,448. So though he could be accused of some hyperbole, I firmly agree with the tenets of his essay. In spite of the fact that another 3,000 patients are going to be…
Read MoreHow important are new tests to diagnose and treat disease? Or improved surgical techniques, speedier emergency care and doctors specializing in various fields of medicine? The fact is that all improvements in medical care make life easier for patients and save lives. But a long overdue report from the U.K. shows the family doctor also…
Read MoreThe B.C. government is launching a new primary health-care strategy to deliver faster and improved access to health care for British Columbians in all parts of the province, Premier John Horgan has announced. More…
Read MoreIt is now about three years since I retired; it saddens me to leave the medical profession in such poor shape. In spite of my best efforts several of my previous patients are “orphaned’; some are telling me how difficult they find it without timely and continuous care. In some cases. the delay has led…
Read MoreThe prognosis is bleak for those British Columbians searching for a family physician amid the province’s doctor drought. A new study out of the University of British Columbia suggests B.C.’s serious shortage of doctors is only going to get worse. More …
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