Apartments to get green bins 3 / Rental housing market tightens in Richmod 3
the richmond
Steveston Lifeboat looks to get afloat again 7
REVIEW RICHMONDREVIEW.COM
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2014
A smile with Santa
24 PAGES
Shortage of doctors looms for Richmond Group seeks to avoid ‘impending disaster’ as 25 family physicians will retire in five years by Matthew Hoekstra Staff Reporter
Katie Lawrence photo Adorable Rosalind Lai takes her turn posing with Santa at the City Centre Christmas Carnival, held at William Cook Elementary School. See p. 23 for story and more photos.
Nearly one in five family doctors in Richmond are expected to retire in the next four years, according to a survey from a group representing local physicians. The Richmond Division of Family Practice, representing 132 general practitioners, also suggests 50,000 local residents could be without a family doctor by 2019. “For the younger GPs who will continue to work in Richmond, this will only compound their existing workload,” says a report from the non-profit society of doctors. That “stark” reality, according to the society, put health care on the city council table Monday. “It’s not something that’s normally a council item,” said Coun. Derek Dang. “We don’t want to see our community erode in any fashion. That is why we’ve taken this up.” City council is now considering how it can help Richmond avoid a serious shortage of family physicians—a chronic issue cities across B.C. are facing. Under funding from the province’s A GP For Me program, the Richmond doctors’ group recently completed a community assessment to understand barriers to primary care. Doctors were surveyed, as was the community in a non-scientific sampling of 1,511 residents, according to the city. The assessment found 83 per cent of respondents have a family doctor, while most who don’t are looking for one. Those without a family doctor
Who has a family doctor in Richmond? •Of people ages 18-44: 79% •Of people ages 45-64: 86% •Of people 65+: 91% •Of those born in Canada: 87% •Of new immigrants: 65% *Source: Richmond Division of Family Practice tended to be younger, or new to Canada. It also found that just 15 per cent of family doctors are accepting new patients, while another 43 per cent welcome new files only in certain circumstances. Another finding put the reason for the study in focus. Five family doctors plan to retire in two years, and another 19 plan to do the same within four years—in a community with fewer doctors per capita than neighbouring communities. Richmond has one doctor for every 1,257 residents, compared with 1 in 949 in Vancouver, and 1 in 1,044 in Delta. A lack of family doctors in Richmond is forcing existing practitioners to work above capacity, and leaving many patients with “inadequate or inappropriate” health care, according to the doctors’ group. “We are seeing an increase in the number of residents using walk-in clinics to access primary care services for their complex or chronic conditions, a suboptimal setting for these types of health care needs.” Health officials are also seeing more residents use emergency departments for issues that could be managed by a family doctor. Richmond Division of Family Practice aims to “mitigate the impending disaster” by drafting a plan to turn the tide. See Page 3
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