"By expanding the Island Medical Program to Cowichan District Hospital we will be able to continue to train the physicians we need to meet the current and future needs of British Columbians," said Kevin Falcon, Minister of Health Services. "We launched the Island Medical Program at the University of Victoria in 2004 with the plan to increase the number of physicians in British Columbia and encourage them to establish practices on Vancouver Island."
The RFP is now posted on the BC BID website at www.bcbid.ca, Document # RFP-CDH-IMP.
The proposed renovation project is for a single storey addition to address the UBC academic space requirements at CDH.
"We are pleased to partner with UBC’s Faculty of Medicine and the Province on the expansion of the Island Medical Program," said Howard Waldner, VIHA’s President and CEO. "This new space at Cowichan District Hospital is a testament to the important role that regional health facilities contribute to clinical medical education and training."
The new space will provide adequate facilities and an appropriate environment for the expansion of undergraduate and postgraduate medical education training as well as other educational needs at CDH, including nursing and other health professions.
"I am delighted to be working closely with the physicians and health professionals in the Cowichan Valley," said Dr. Oscar Casiro, UBC Regional Associate Dean on Vancouver Island. "This new space acknowledges the important role they play in the education of the physicians of tomorrow."
The Island Medical Program has two graduated classes, from May 2008 and May 2009. This put 47 medical doctors into the health care system, and graduates are now in residencies across Canada.
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Media Contact:
Val Wilson
VIHA Communications
250-739-6303