Doctor shortage at Port Moody Urgent and Primary Care Centre

Doctors have been in short supply in Port Moody.

Since opening in November 2022, the Port Moody Urgent and Primary Care Centre has fallen short of expected staffing levels for physicians.

Five family doctors were set to staff the facility. However, data recently released through a freedom of information request showed there was the equivalent of 3.4 full time doctors at the care centre.

The province is trying to recruit more family physicians and to boost staff at Urgent and Primary Care centres, according to a statement from the Ministry of Health.

“Each UPCC aims to fill all positions and staff all shifts; but often need to scale up hiring overtime while focusing on ongoing recruitment,” the ministry representative stated. “Overall, staffing at UPCCs, including Port Moody, is increasing.”

In one year, 30,168 visited the Port Moody centre, making it busier than any other facility in the Fraser Health region. The second busiest centre was Metrotown, which logged 27,928 visits.

Due to the global shortage of health workers, the province is attempting to offer: “fair pay, better working conditions and faster credential recognition,” according to the ministry.

“While we know we still have a lot more work to do, we’re going to keep working hard to make sure people and their loved ones get quality health care they can count on,” the representative stated.

Located on Murray Street, the centre includes seven exam rooms and treats patients for urgent but non-life threatening conditions like cuts and burns, as well as mental health and substance-abuse issues.