Date of publication: June 21, 2022 • 14 hours ago • 3 minutes reading • 17 comments Adrian Dix, Minister of Health of BC. Photo by Herman Thind / Government of BC / PNG
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About 175 new graduates living in the family practice are offered lucrative contracts, loan forgiveness and a $ 25,000 sign-up bonus if they sign up by September to work as family doctors in BC.
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“I think people want action and that’s action,” BC Health Minister Adrian Dix said Monday. At a time when one in five British Colombians, or nearly a million, say they do not have a family doctor, Dix said the county is stepping up urgently to give young doctors the contracts many want to stay and work in the county. “This demonstrates our willingness to move forward quickly to attract future physicians to family medicine,” Dix said. Interested residents who sign a full-time contract will immediately receive a “new in practice” contract worth $ 295,457 for the first year – what used to be a second-year interest rate. New GPs will also receive a $ 25,000 signature bonus as well as a phased out medical education debt write-off plan – up to $ 50,000 for the first year and up to $ 20,000 for a medical education debt write-off for each two to five year old. Dex called the debt write-off one of the most important incentives.
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“We wanted to encourage them as much as possible to consider full family practice, and that’s why this proposal was made,” Dix said. The new contracts do not solve every problem in BC’s healthcare system with regard to family practice, but they do address some of the most important issues for young doctors in a timely manner, Dix said. “We wanted to make a strong statement now to GPs that this is going to be an area that will see change and we want to see that change when they make their decision,” Dix said. Incentives are available to Canadians and international medical graduates – both those who graduated from the 2022 two-year residency program this summer and those who have graduated in the last 12 months.
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After graduating from medical school, people are assigned to residency programs. The BC University School of Medicine program produces about 400 graduates each year – about 175 in a two-year program are certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada as family physicians and the rest in multiannual programs certified by the Royal College of Physicians Canada, such as surgeons, dermatologists or psychiatrists. The 175 graduate heads of families were invited to a meeting of the Ministry of Health, where the incentives were offered on June 15. About 40 students, some of whom stayed a few days after graduation, attended the meeting. Family doctor Saanich Dr. Jennifer Lush said BC graduates and doctors were not waiting for the contract offer.
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“This contract was completed without consultation. “The BC Doctors were completely blind to this.” International graduates were not included in the original proposal, which Lush called “biased,” but the Department of Health has since considered the comments from the meeting, and graduates living abroad are now eligible. The contract offer has not yet been sent through BC Doctors and BC Residents “They are trying to force new graduates to sign these contracts,” Lush said. “I think it’s a public relations move, right? “Adrian Dix just wanted to be able to say that he signed so many young doctors.” It is more typical and viable for new graduates to try what is called locum positions – short-term positions at various clinics that hire or assist with regular family doctors for vacations – before deciding on the location and type of practice that works best for them, he said. Lush.
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“It would make a lot more sense to give these young graduates time to gain real-world experience before you force them to sign a contract,” Lush said. The Department of Health continues to do “crisis management,” Lush said. “They continue to come up with these randomly thought-out Band-Aid solutions.” Harry Gray, executive director of Resident Doctors of BC, who negotiates collective bargaining for residents, said there are many options for new graduates, including positions or contracts or pay for service, but the model of a doctor taking on an individual family doctor . More news, fewer ads: Our in-depth journalism is possible thanks to the support of our subscribers. For just $ 3.50 a week, you can get unlimited, ad-lite access to The Vancouver Sun, The Province, the National Post, and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us with your registration today: The Vancouver Sun | The Province.
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