Critics say urgent and primary care centres (UPCCs), one of the province’s touted solutions to solving the family doctor crisis, do not come close to meeting the needs of British Columbians.
UPCCs were first introduced in 2018, and designed to serve residents of a community, according to the province, where they’ll receive team-based care from a physician, nurse practitioners, nurses and other health professionals.
However, data from B.C.’s Ministry of Health health ministry — requested by the opposition B.C. Liberals and revealed in the legislature last week — show that staffing at most of B.C.’s 26 UPCCs are far below approved levels, and only around 20,000 patients are “attached” to the clinics.
