A growing number of North Island residents are backing their long-time family doctor.
Port Hardy’s Anita Harvie started an online petition a few weeks ago calling on Island Health to hire Dr. Prean Armogam for the new medical clinic coming soon to Port McNeill.
“The Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) has advised us they will be putting a new medical clinic in Port McNeill and plan on bringing new ‘permanent’ physicians to work in it,” Harvie explains.
READ MORE: Island Health secures two new doctors, leases space to support primary care services in Port McNeill
She says Dr. Armogam has been taking care of people in Port McNeill, Port Hardy, and Port Alice for over a decade, and that he’s willing to give up his private practice to work for VIHA.
However, Harvie says he’s “not being given that opportunity.”
“He has been told to hand our personal medical files over to the new clinic within six months to one year,” she notes. “We feel he is being treated as unfairly as we are. He is ‘our’ family doctor and has taken excellent care of us for 15 years, while other physicians have come and gone.”
With this in mind, Harvie’s petition on Change.org continues to grow. As of this afternoon (June 7th), it’s garnered over 770 signatures. Her goal is to reach 1000 signatures.
“He has compassion, heart and throughout the past 14 months has worked tirelessly 16-hour days 7-days a week to continue to care for us. We know it’s been stressful for him and us during this time, but he’s still been all in,” she says.
During the past five years, Harvie says Dr. Armogram has asked VIHA to work with him to bring in more doctors. But now she finds he’s being ousted because he has been persistent in his asks to hire permanent doctors to the area.
“It is obvious they are forcing him to limit his practice which would exclude hundreds of us,” Harvie adds.
“We choose him to continue to care for those of us who live in Port McNeill, Port Hardy, and Port Alice. Hire Doctor Prean Armogam and his experienced staff to work in the new clinic VIHA in Port McNeill.”
Find the petition here: Hire Prean Armogam to work in the new VIHA Port McNeill Medical Clinic
