Health Care Provider Feedback

Not being Diagnosed

“I’m a health care worker and see people’s frustration with the care they’re receiving every day. Their needs are not being met based on what they’re told they need to be diagnosed and treated.”

Consistency

“I am a family physician doing longitudinal care, and I think everyone deserves a family doctor (not a UPCC they are attached to where they see someone different every time).”

Detrimental Effects

“I am a family physician working in a hospital & I see the detrimental effects of the lack of robust primary care on the island. The rest of the health care system can not function when the building blocks (universal Access to primary care) have crumbled.”

Government Isn’t Listening

“I’m a family doctor at the end of my career(which was in Alberta) and for the past 8 years have done locums and walk-in work in Victoria. I’ve been vocal about how little the govt is going to address a terrible problem.”

Government do you care?

The situation British Columbians without a family Doctor find themselves in is terrifying. Not only are we not treating illness, but we are also exacerbating it & even creating it. How can this be in a first-world country like Canada? I asked a Physician recently why our elected officials are not responding to this crisis & he answered, “Because they don’t care!” Do you care? And, if you don’t, who are you???”

The Surgeons see it

“After 45 years of practicing as a surgeon in Victoria, I see our medical system in serious jeopardy. I fully agree with this petition.”

Years without a Doctor

“I work in the health sector and many of my patients don’t have their own doctor, some for many years now. This is so mind-boggling that this province cannot keep doctors employed here. Personally, I’m so thankful for having a GP when I had breast cancer and depression.”

Need for Change

“I work in health care & see a need for change and creative thinking on how to build up a sustainable system….led by Family Physicians.”

Everyone deserves a FP

“As a full-service family doctor in Victoria, I find it so unfair that some citizens have access to an FP and others have nothing. What kind of system is that! It’s falling apart. Doctors with my training are choosing jobs with less stress, less overhead, or better pay. Being a family doctor is wonderful! But all the business worries /expense/inability to take a holiday is not. Everyone deserves an FP, but it needs to be a more attractive option for docs.”

Unnecessary Stress on Patients

“I work in a specialist medical clinic and hear from patients daily who do not have a family physician. Continuity of medical care is very important and it adds unnecessary stress to patients. The lack of family physicians, who act as a centralized point of contact when caring for multiple conditions, adds burdens to the entire health care system as often multiple tests are ordered. This ends up costing the province more money, the staff in labs, specialist offices, walk-in clinics, etc are working harder duplicating services and it ends up slowing down the medical system overall.”

Appalling

“I'm a retired healthcare professional and believe the number and availability of family doctors in this province, which is so beautiful and offers so much to live in, is truly appalling.”

Everyone will suffer

“I’m an ER RN and my emergency dept does not have the capacity to care for the existing numbers of emergency patients appropriately, let alone increased walk-in patients. Overall care for everyone will suffer.”

I can’t help them

“I work in health care and I can’t help people without a family doctor or a walk-in clinic. I’m also scared if my son or my family needs an urgent appointment – we wait 2-3 weeks before my doctor can see us.”

More will leave

“As a family physician who had to close up shop in Victoria, I support a significant revamp of our healthcare system in order to recruit family physicians to return to longitudinal family practice. Increase the visit fee (which has not gone up even a dollar since I started practicing in 2014), support overhead costs for doctors, and stop throwing money at UPCCs which have not shown much patient attachment for the exorbitant costs! Pay us what we’re worth! Currently, NP’s with less training are more valued than we are. Despite ridiculous expenses, the UPCC contracts for docs still ask for doctors to pay overhead! Cut down on bureaucracy and administration! There is one health care administrator per 1400 pts in BC! Time to change or this will just get worse.”

I have thrown in the towel

“I am a family physician who, after 43 years of practice, I am very tired. Since the pandemic was declared, I have been working 7 days a week with no break, some days 10 or more hours. Not a single day off in 2 years. I have now, this week, thrown in the towel. In my isolated rural community, there is no one to take my place despite 2 years of advertising. There is no access to any walk-in clinic without an expensive ferry ride and possibly an overnight hotel stay. I feel very badly for my community, but I can’t go on.”