Colwood will have another walk-in medical clinic with a grand re-opening scheduled for spring 2024, according to Colwood Mayor Doug Kobayashi.
The previous walk-in clinic closed in 2022, leaving the Colwood population of 21,000 with no family doctors, said Kobayashi.
“This was an immediate crisis situation,” he said.
A letter was sent to BC Health Minister Adrian Dix in which the dire circumstances were explained.
“He was in a bit of disbelief that we, in fact, had no family doctors,” said Kobayashi.
The West Shore Primary Care Society will operate the clinic and be fully funded by the provincial government, according to Kobayashi.
The opening was originally scheduled for Dec. 1, but had to be pushed back due to the current doctor shortage, so now there will be a soft opening on Dec. 15, with the clinic coming online in the spring.
The clinic will be for the benefit of all people living on the West Shore, said Kobayashi, as anyone from the West Shore can access the clinic if they choose to do so.
It was quite shocking how quickly the approval to re-open the clinic happened, he said.
“We moved at lightning speed to make sure they had all the permits.”
Kobayashi said he is happy that the new walk-in clinic has been announced but downplays his involvement in its re-opening.
“The big thing is making the noise and getting things to happen,” he said. “I don’t need to glory. I just wanted to serve my community.”
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