B.C. medical clinic forced to release hundreds of patients

Hundreds of people in Castlegar, B.C., have been left without a family doctor after a physician left a medical practice in the West Kootenay city.

The Castlegar Medical Clinic says it's been forced to let go of approximately a thousand patients because staff say they are spread thin and no one is available to fill the gaps.

"It's nothing short of terrible and sad and heartbreaking," said Ellen Smart, a family physician at the clinic.

"Our clinic has been in Castlegar for over 50 years … so this is the first time in probably 50 years where we've had to say we're just letting go of approximately 1,000 patients."

Castlegar, which is located about 400 kilometres east of Vancouver, is one of many communities across the province facing a shortage of doctors.

"We are finding that we are so thin. We used to have a walk-in clinic just for our clinic, but we can't cover that — and the walk-in clinic in Nelson just closed down," Smart said.

She said it could be a year before the vacancy is filled.

"The physicians are tired, but it's the patients that are suffering," she said. "It really makes us ill."

Doctors Erin Charman, left, Ellen Smart, centre, and Bbandama Makwati stand in front of the Castlegar Medical Clinic. (Submitted by Castlegar Medical Clinic)

Smart explained that each doctor in the clinic has a different number of patients — Smart herself has just over 1,000.

Not all of the patients who were let go were attached to a specific doctor, the clinic says. Some were previously able to see a rotating doctor on call.

But as of May 1, the clinic says it will no longer be able to see patients who are not assigned to a current physician in the clinic.

"We have been doing our best to care for patients who were attached to previous physicians of the clinic, however we do not have the capacity due to a critical physician shortage and we are no longer able to provide this service," reads a statement on the clinic's website.

Fee for records transfer waived

Resident Trudi Bird has been a patient at the clinic for more than 30 years and has always had a family doctor — until now.

"It's not right," she told CBC News.

Bird explained she needs a specific procedure and thankfully she was able to connect with a nurse practitioner at the local hospital.

But she complained to the clinic when she received an email stating she would be charged a fee for having her medical records transferred.

"I don't believe that's our responsibility, we didn't stop the service, they did," Bird said.

The clinic has since decided it won't be charging former patients the $50 fee for transferring their medical records.

"Because Canada is, right now, just reeling from not having enough physicians, the worst part is there isn't anybody to transfer to," Smart said.

The best option for people without a doctor in Castlegar is the emergency room, Smart adds. The clinic said telehealth options are also available.

The Ministry of Health said in a statement that more than 65,000 people in the Interior Health region are seeking a family doctor through its Health Connect Registry.