More doctors promised for rural B.C.

The provincial government's new Health Action Plan will send more doctors to rural B.C. The plan, outlined on Tuesday, will create 31 more medical residencies over the next two years. The new doctors will be placed in communities of greatest need.

The president of the B.C. Medical Association, Dr. Marshall Dahl, says this is a start, but it probably won't be enough to resolve the ongoing dispute over rural health care.

Many rural doctors say the government simply is spending what's required to keep doctors in small towns, given their heavy workload and the time they spend on call.

Dr. Ross Dawson is the president of the medical staff at the Cranbrook hospital. He says the government plan is a step in the right direction. "I think the announcement of new money coming to health care is always positive," he says, "and the increase in residency spots in our B.C. education system is worthwhile."

The government is also creating the new B.C. Rural and Remote Health Institute at the University of Northern B.C. in Prince George.

A provincial mediator is due to report next week on the rural doctors' dispute. Dr. Dahl says it may provide a framework for an agreement.