Re: “Five years later, still too few MDs,” editorial, July 19.
I have practised as a general practitioner in Victoria for 19 years and always in a group practice of three or four physicians.
The editorial states that pushing multi-disciplinary clinics is the solution to the shortage of family doctors. It states that only a tiny minority of us work in such clinics here in B.C.
Most GPs I know, myself included, would love to have a nurse, dietitian, social worker, etc., working with them to help their patients achieve best health. The problem is that patients cannot be expected to pay directly for these services, and we as GPs cannot afford to pay these professionals to work in our offices. The Ministry of Health won’t pay them, either. The reason so few doctors are working in multi-disciplinary government-funded community clinics is that these clinics are far more expensive for the government than the typical group GP practice.
So unless new money is found, or (gasp!) user fees are introduced, this is not a practical solution to the GP shortage, unfortunately. Until then, I keep practising, and teaching medical students about how great family practice is, hoping they will become GPs some day.
Dr. Vanessa Young
Victoria
