-We're trying to get out in front of the pack right now because there's a shortage of doctors-

OSOYOOS TIMES-February 20, 2008-

By Paul EverestrnOsoyoos Times

The communities of Osoyoos and Oliver again played host to a doctor looking into the possibility of practising here last weekend.
Dr. Anna Tan arrived in the area on Feb. 14 for a four-day tour of the towns and to meet with members of the area's medical community.
Tan is from the Philippines but went to medical school at the University of Adelaide in Australia. Last year she moved to Vancouver to be with her family who came to B.C. in 2006.
During a reception for her at the Osoyoos Visitor Centre on Feb. 16, Tan told the Osoyoos Times that her tour included visits to the South Okanagan General Hospital in Oliver, the Nk'Mip Desert Cultural Centre, along with drop-ins to local wineries and art galleries.
Dr. Lorraine Ann Kane of Osoyoos also hosted a dinner on Feb. 15 where Tan had a chance to speak with doctors from clinics in Osoyoos and Oliver.
It's very warm, very friendly here, Tan said. The people are very inviting.
The doctors are so nice.rnAnd like other physicians who have visited the South Okanagan recently as part of the area's doctor-recruitment program, Tan said the valley's physical character impressed her.
I love the landscape, she said. It's a very lovely landscape.rnTan said she did a medical internship at Modbury Public Hospital in Adelaide, on Australia's southern coast, along with a general training year at the Royal Adelaide Hospital in 2006 before going back to the Modbury hospital in 2007. She said her background is in general and family medicine, general surgery and emergency room medicine.
Dr. David Shaw, a member of the area's physician recruitment committee, said Tan's background means she has the skill set needed for working in a rural setting such as the Osoyoos-Oliver area.
Those kinds of doctors are in demand, he said, adding that there is competition among the province's rural communities for physicians.
We're trying to get out in front of the pack right now because there's a shortage of doctors.rnPhysicians in Osoyoos and Oliver are required to work rotating shifts at the Oliver hospital on top of their own clinic duties. Some doctors who have considered the area in the past have balked at such an expectation.
Shaw said the area needs several doctors immediately and must continue to recruit physicians down the road to deal with a shrinking medical community and to alleviate large patient loads.
Some of it has to do with retirements, some of it has to do with community growth, he said.
Some doctors in the South Okanagan can carry as many as 1,600 patients.
In December 2007, two South African doctors made the decision to move to the area after visiting Osoyoos and Oliver in October. Matthys and Ansunette de Vries are expected to arrive in the area in the next few months. Matthys said he will practise full time in Osoyoos and Ansunette hopes she will eventually be able to practise on a part-time basis.
Glenn Mandziuk, executive director of Destination Osoyoos, which was also part of the delegation that welcomed Tan, said that once again the entire Osoyoos community played a part in rolling out the red carpet for a visiting doctor.
This is the kind of thing it takes to showcase our community, he said, adding that Tan was given a broad overview of everything the South Okanagan offers including housing, lifestyle, recreation and culture.
Because when you're choosing a community you want to make sure those aspects are there.rnMandziuk also said it was critical for the area to continue pursuing doctors.
If we didn't do this we'd be in a crisis situation, he said.
As for when he expected Tan to make her choice on whether to join the area's medical community, Mandziuk said he believed the decision would come very soon.rnTan said she's still working through a lot of paperwork for having her degree recognized here and getting her Canadian licensing.
She said in many ways she found Osoyoos felt familiar as Adelaide is also Australia's wine country, a similarity she said is a big selling point for her.
My family and I enjoy good quality wines so it's the wineries that stand out, she said.