VANCOUVER—The province is launching a new strategy for primary health care with 200 more general practitioners, 10 new urgent primary health-care facilities, and primary-care networks in 70 per cent of communities over the next three years, announced Premier John Horgan on Thursday.

At a news conference with Health Minister Adrian Dix at BC Children’s Hospital, Horgan said the funding for more primary-health providers will form the basis of a new team-based approach that will put patients in closer contact with the right type of care they need. The province has allocated $181 million for 200 more general practitioners and $115 million for 200 more nurse practitioners.

“B.C. will be able to lead the way with team-based care — and that team-based approach means we will be able to connect people to doctors, nurse practitioners, psychologists, pharmacist, social workers, dietitians and physiotherapists that will meet their needs where they need it when they need it,” said Horgan.

Primary-care networks, which will be rolled out in 70 per cent of B.C. communities, will link local care teams to other services to allow patients better access to comprehensive health care. The first of these five networks will be in Prince George, Richmond, Burnaby, Comox and the South Okanagan Similkameen region. Horgan also announced the establishment of urgent primary-care centres across the province, aimed at patients who are in need of care but may not need to go to the hospital.

“They will be open on evenings and weekends to take pressure off emergency rooms where people often find themselves when they have nowhere else to go,” said Horgan.

Dix said the renewal of primary health care will done over the next three years while working with doctors, nurse practitioners and local communities to find what works best.

“There’s going to be strong change to make team-based care the central element of primary care in our communities,” said Dix. “We’re going to learn where things work and make changes where they don’t, because you can’t institute team-based care by imposing a vision; you actually have to work as a team.”

Health advocates are praising the province’s new investment, which they hope will help fill in the gaps in the provincial health-care system.

“This announcement is really significant, said Edith MacHattie, co-chair of the BC Health Coalition. “Too many British Columbians aren’t attached to a G.P., sometimes it’s really hard to get appointments at walk-in clinics. Increasing access at the community level is critical to build the strength of our health-care system.”

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