Starting in April, Kaslo area residents will be able to see a doctor on the weekend for the first time in several years.
Drs. Isabelle-Anne Fontaine, Fen Smit, and Shelina Musaji, who fill two full-time positions between them, will stagger their hours to cover the clinic from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days per week. They work on salary for the Interior Health Authority.
This has come about through discussions between the doctors and Kaslo village council’s health select committee, one of whose members is Regional District of Central Kootenay representative Aimee Watson.
“We sat down with the doctors and had them lead what was going to work for them,” she said. “We always wanted to go back to 24-7 but it depended on the doctors. They have been able to manage a schedule and meet the needs.
“Many people work 9 to 5 Monday to Friday, so this will open up the ability of people to attend primary care on the weekend,” Watson said.
According to a a health authority news release, the emergency department hours at the Kaslo health centre will remain Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.