Scotch Creek will soon have a doctor, albeit on a temporary basis.
The North Shuswap community and surrounding area has been without a family doctor for some time now, but for several weeks over the coming months the vacancy will be filled.
The North Shuswap Health Centre is bringing in temporary doctors through the Interior Health Rural Locum Physician Program. The program provides temporary doctors for rural communities who do not have full-time medical coverage. According to Gail McNeil Oliver, executive director of the North Shuswap Health Society, the centre is usually eligible for 38 days of locum doctor coverage per year, but this year it was doubled to 76 days.
A temporary doctor will be at the clinic from July 11 to 15 and 25 to 29, Aug. 8 to 12 and 15 to 19; Sept. 6 to 10 and 19 to 23; Oct. 3 to 7, 11 to 18, 24 to 28 and Oct. 31 to Nov. 9; Nov. 21 to 25 and Dec. 5 to 9.
The clinic is located at 3874 Squilax Anglemont Rd. in Scotch Creek. McNeil Oliver estimated there are approximately 6,400 full-time residents in the health centre’s coverage area, with a summertime population boom to 30,000 in the area.
The Health Centre has been without a full-time doctor since 2014 when the husband and wife team of Ken and Janet Bates left the area.
The North Shuswap Health Centre Society has gone as far as raising a $5,000 reward for anyone able to convince a doctor to sign on with the clinic for a period of three years.
“We’re hopeful that we’ve got some physicians interested. We’re hoping that happens quite soon. We’ve had one doctor come and spend some time with us so we’re hoping that there will be further conversations about him coming full time,” McNeill Oliver said.