B.C. Doctors Sign Contract After New Salary Incentives Announced

The province says 54 new doctors have signed contracts as of October 1st, providing full-service primary care in communities throughout British Columbia.

The Ministry of Health announced Wednesday that it had hired 54 new doctors to provide full-service primary care in communities throughout B.C.

The Ministry began offering new incentives to recent family medicine grads - larger salaries and big bonuses - in hopes they'd set up shop in the province.

Under the deal, new family physicians are paid $296,000 in their first year plus a $25,000 signing bonus, medical training and student debt forgiveness of up to $50,000 for the first year and up to $20,000 for years two to five.

Along with the 54 contracts signed, more than 60 family physicians are in discussions about suitable clinic placements and the terms of the contract.

This comes as the province deals with an acute shortage of family doctors and a general crisis in the health care system.

The province says that since June, 140 new family physicians have expressed interest in the incentives.

According to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C., there are 7,229 family doctors in the province.