922064
Mr. Al Richmond, Chair
Healthy Communities Committee
Union of BC Municipalities
Suite 60 10551 Shellbridge Way
Richmond BC V6X 2W9ubcm@ubcm.ca <mailto:ubcm@ubcm.ca>
Dear Mr. Richmond:
The Honourable Michael de Jong, QC, Minister of Health, has asked me to respond to your letter of March 6, 2012, regarding Medical Services in Small Communities. I apologise for the delay in responding.
Recruiting and retaining physicians in smaller, rural communities is a challenge across the country. With this in mind, the BC Ministry of Health has worked in collaboration with the BC Medical Association to develop and maintain a comprehensive portfolio of programs to support rural medicine. These programs are developed and managed by the Joint Standing Committee on Rural Issues, a joint committee of the Province and the BC Medical Association. The Committee’s mandate is to enhance the delivery of rural health care across BC. Through this standing committee, the Ministry continues to seek innovative solutions that will ensure patients have timely access to medical services, no matter where in the province they live. In July 2011 we announced a new program to strengthen support for public access to emergency care in rural communities.
Enclosed is a link to the “Rural Programs: A Guide for the Rural Physician Programs in British Columbia” which provides a brief synopsis of the programs offered, http://www.health.gov.bc.ca/library/publications/year/misc/rural_programs.pdf<http://www.health.gov.bc.ca/library/publications/year/misc/rural_programs.pdf> . These programs and services have contributed to a 28 percent growth in the number of physicians living and practicing in rural BC communities between 2003 and 2009. In 2009, the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada reported that BC has one of the best supplies of rural physicians in Canada.
Mr. Al Richmond, Chair
Healthy Communities Committee
Union of BC Municipalities
Suite 60 10551 Shellbridge Way
Richmond BC V6X 2W9ubcm@ubcm.ca <mailto:ubcm@ubcm.ca>
Dear Mr. Richmond:
The Honourable Michael de Jong, QC, Minister of Health, has asked me to respond to your letter of March 6, 2012, regarding Medical Services in Small Communities. I apologise for the delay in responding.
Recruiting and retaining physicians in smaller, rural communities is a challenge across the country. With this in mind, the BC Ministry of Health has worked in collaboration with the BC Medical Association to develop and maintain a comprehensive portfolio of programs to support rural medicine. These programs are developed and managed by the Joint Standing Committee on Rural Issues, a joint committee of the Province and the BC Medical Association. The Committee’s mandate is to enhance the delivery of rural health care across BC. Through this standing committee, the Ministry continues to seek innovative solutions that will ensure patients have timely access to medical services, no matter where in the province they live. In July 2011 we announced a new program to strengthen support for public access to emergency care in rural communities.
Enclosed is a link to the “Rural Programs: A Guide for the Rural Physician Programs in British Columbia” which provides a brief synopsis of the programs offered, http://www.health.gov.bc.ca/library/publications/year/misc/rural_programs.pdf<http://www.health.gov.bc.ca/library/publications/year/misc/rural_programs.pdf> . These programs and services have contributed to a 28 percent growth in the number of physicians living and practicing in rural BC communities between 2003 and 2009. In 2009, the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada reported that BC has one of the best supplies of rural physicians in Canada.
Another success story for BC doctors, patients and communities is the General Practice Services Committee (GPSC) which is another joint committee of the Ministry of Health and the BC Medical Association. It is helping to support family physicians and patient care in communities around the province. Through GPSC, we have established Divisions of Family Practice. These community-based groups of family physicians are working together to achieve common health care goals. Divisions are helping us to reach our goal of ensuring that every British Columbian has access to primary care by 2015, and they are looking for community-specific ways to support patient care.
Introducing new medical graduates into the health care system is key to maintaining and improving patient access to care. Since 2003, the University of British Columbia (UBC) Faculty of Medicine has more than doubled enrolment in the medical school and distributed medical education from Vancouver and the Lower Mainland to the health regions. BC’s approach is to attract the right students to train in the right locations including distributed sites with an emphasis on rural medicine and general specialties. By increasing enrolment, distributing medical education to the health regions, and emphasizing training in rural medicine and generalist specialties, we expect more physicians to choose family medicine and practice where they have trained.
The Ministry recognizes that some patients need assistance with the costs of accessing health care outside their home communities. In addition to the Health Connections Program, the Travel Assistance Program is available to residents of British Columbia when accessing non-emergency medical speciality care not available in their local communities and provides discounted rates for flight and ground transportation between destinations, which vary depending on the service provider. It also covers 100 per cent of ferry travel costs including escort and vehicle if required.
Our Ministry is also committed to ensuring a high-quality system of pre-hospital emergency care for all British Columbians. Total funding for ambulance services in BC has increased year over year for the past decade. The Emergency and Health Services Commission (EHSC), which has jurisdiction over these matters, has undertaken a number of strategies in response to these challenges, including: hosting and paying for Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) training in targeted communities; establishing a bursary program to increase the number of Primary Care Paramedics (PCPs) working in rural and remote communities, as well as the number of Advanced Care Paramedics (ACPs) in the province; and, conducting targeted recruitment drives.
We have been and continue to work hard to create an environment that supports the health of rural BC communities. With regret the Minister and ministry staff are unable to attend your next Healthy Communities Committee meeting on May 17, 2012.
I appreciate the opportunity to respond to your letter and hope you will find this information helpful.
Yours truly,
Nichola Manning
A/Assistant Deputy Minister
Medical Services and
Health Human Resources Division
pc: Honourable Michael de Jong, QC, Minister of Health
Introducing new medical graduates into the health care system is key to maintaining and improving patient access to care. Since 2003, the University of British Columbia (UBC) Faculty of Medicine has more than doubled enrolment in the medical school and distributed medical education from Vancouver and the Lower Mainland to the health regions. BC’s approach is to attract the right students to train in the right locations including distributed sites with an emphasis on rural medicine and general specialties. By increasing enrolment, distributing medical education to the health regions, and emphasizing training in rural medicine and generalist specialties, we expect more physicians to choose family medicine and practice where they have trained.
The Ministry recognizes that some patients need assistance with the costs of accessing health care outside their home communities. In addition to the Health Connections Program, the Travel Assistance Program is available to residents of British Columbia when accessing non-emergency medical speciality care not available in their local communities and provides discounted rates for flight and ground transportation between destinations, which vary depending on the service provider. It also covers 100 per cent of ferry travel costs including escort and vehicle if required.
Our Ministry is also committed to ensuring a high-quality system of pre-hospital emergency care for all British Columbians. Total funding for ambulance services in BC has increased year over year for the past decade. The Emergency and Health Services Commission (EHSC), which has jurisdiction over these matters, has undertaken a number of strategies in response to these challenges, including: hosting and paying for Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) training in targeted communities; establishing a bursary program to increase the number of Primary Care Paramedics (PCPs) working in rural and remote communities, as well as the number of Advanced Care Paramedics (ACPs) in the province; and, conducting targeted recruitment drives.
We have been and continue to work hard to create an environment that supports the health of rural BC communities. With regret the Minister and ministry staff are unable to attend your next Healthy Communities Committee meeting on May 17, 2012.
I appreciate the opportunity to respond to your letter and hope you will find this information helpful.
Yours truly,
Nichola Manning
A/Assistant Deputy Minister
Medical Services and
Health Human Resources Division
pc: Honourable Michael de Jong, QC, Minister of Health
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