Access is Everything

A long time ago, Izaak Walton said that health is “a blessing that money cannot buy.” We have, however, spent a great deal of money and come a very long way in health care since the seventeenth century, with incredible advances in medicine and greatly improved delivery and access to services.

But not everyone in our small part of the world finds that medical care is as accessible as it should be. In fact, many Bowen residents are obliged to travel to the mainland to receive primary health care. This is not just an inconvenience for a limited number of residents. It is in fact putting many islanders, particularly seniors and the very young, at unnecessary risk.
We are fortunate to have the excellent care provided by Dr. Suzanne Schloegl, the only family physician who lives and works on Bowen. She cannot, however, be expected to look after our more than 3,400 full-time residents, not to mention the “summer people” and visitors. Our doctor-patient ratio puts us on par with Madagascar and just a bit better than Bangladesh.


The Community Medical Clinic Society of Bowen Island was officially formed in April of this year in order to address this uacceptable shortfall in access to primary care. Its aim is to create a Health Care Centre that will attract and retain other primary care providers as well as facilitate the provision of related health care services under one roof.

This may sem like a monumental task but we are encouraged by the success of other island communities such as Pender and Denman. The clinic on Gabriola, housing three full-time family physicians as well as ancillary services is a shiny example of what can be done in a community such as ours.

Walton may have been right about health; after all, living to nearly ninety in his time was remarkable. But here and now on Bowen perhaps a little money, judiciously managed, can help us improve access to it.Watch movie online The Transporter Refueled (2015)

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