After watching another B.C. community launch a medical clinic owned and operated by the municipality, the City of Kamloops is considering whether the same model could solve a longstanding doctor shortage at the confluence of the North and South Thompson rivers.
In January, the City of Colwood, just outside Victoria on Vancouver Island, opened the Colwood Medical Clinic. Rather than having doctors see patients and also handle paperwork, like in a private practice setting, the city deals with administration and business issues so physicians can focus on providing care.
“The doctors of today like to work eight to 10 hours a day,” Kamloops city councillor Kelly Hall told CBC’s Daybreak Kamloops host Shelley Joyce. “They do their shift, they want to jump on their mountain bike, they want to go skiing at Sun Peaks. They want to enjoy quality time with their family.”
Having the city handle the business side of running …