New medical clinic, 10 doctors coming to Langford

A medical clinic is opening in downtown Langford with plans to give thousands of people access to a family doctor.

The Goldstream Medical Clinic is expected to open early next year.

During an in camera meeting last week, city council unanimously approved $1.7 million to supply medical equipment and build out the space on Bryn Maur Road off Goldstream Avenue.

“Langford has committed the immediate funding to move this critical project forward because residents cannot wait any longer for a doctor,” Mayor Scott Goodmanson said at a press conference Monday morning.

Goodmanson noted health care is not a municipal responsibility, so he hopes the province will kick in some cash to help cover the cost of outfitting the clinic.

The South Island Primary Care Society, a non-profit, will own and operate the clinic.

“We take on all the administrative burdens, so our physicians in our spaces can give their undivided attention to patient care,” said Alyssa Andres, the charity’s executive director.

The society plans to recruit 10 doctors to work at the clinic. Five physicians are already on board, including Dr. Tunde Omisore, who moved to Vancouver Island from the United Kingdom five months ago.

“There are so many patients who are unattached – so many people in the community who do not have a doctor,” he said.

Langford estimates 27,000 people on the West Shore are without a family doctor. It believes the new clinic will give 12,500 people access to a physician. Those patients will be pulled from B.C.’s Health Connect Registry, Andres said.

“It’s a really important opportunity if you’re someone who doesn’t have a family doctor to make sure you’re registered on the B.C. Health Registry,” she said.