Lyonel Doherty
Oliver Chronicle

The medical powers that be are asking Oliver and Osoyoos to secure housing for locum physicians.

Dr. Kevin Hill and Carl Meadows from Interior Health have sent letters to both town councils requesting assistance in housing visiting doctors.

Hill said local physicians and Interior Health have worked to address staffing issues in South Okanagan General Hospital’s emergency department.

To fill gaps in service, Interior Health relies on locums to cover vacation time in clinics and during emergency vacancies.

“However, securing housing for locums wanting to travel to practice in our communities has been and continues to be a real challenge,” Hill said.

Previously, Oliver Town council was asked how it could help support these locums by securing housing for them.

“With a dedicated residence close to SOGH, we could ensure easily accessible and comfortable housing for out-of-town physicians,” Hill said.

There has been discussion at the regional district regarding the difficulty of attracting and retaining physicians. In addition, the emergency department at SOGH has been subject to closure at certain times of the year due to lack of available doctors to cover shifts.

Cathy Cowan, chief administrative officer for the Town of Oliver, said they just received the letter from Hill so council hasn’t had an opportunity to fully discuss the matter.

Barry Romanko, chief administrative officer for the Town of Osoyoos, said council is not prepared to speak to the housing issue at this time. He did note the Community Charter gives council the authority to provide funding towards securing housing for locums.

Romanko said the housing request has been placed on the regional hospital board agenda, adding that once additional information is provided, council will be prepared to speak to the matter.

The regional district board plans to discuss the issue at its meeting on March 21. The board noted it would have authority to enter into a rental agreement for locum housing.

The Town of Princeton and Electoral Area H experienced a similar cycle of emergency room closures and lack of clinic space for doctors in 2012/13. As a result, the regional district authorized a $5,000 contribution towards developing a physician recruitment package.

Bill Newell, chief administrative officer for the regional district, said the situation in the South Okanagan is a “serious problem” that needs discussion.