Dear Editor
In a letter published in last week’s Journal (“Other towns getting doctors”), Esther Darlington MacDonald wrote that “there are four doctors in Lytton, and four doctors in Lillooet. What have these communities got that Ashcroft doesn’t have? There is obviously more savvy in Lillooet and Lytton than there is here.”
This does not quite tell the whole story. As of March 20, 2015 Lytton has two doctors, who work on a one week on, one week off basis. This number will increase to three doctors on April 1, when the rotation for each doctor will become one week on, two weeks off. There is never more than one doctor on duty in Lytton in a given week, handling bot the clinic and any emergencies. Lillooet currently has five doctors, with either two or three of them “on duty” on a given day.
The doctor situation in Ashcroft is indeed a matter for concern, as it is in many towns throughout the province. However, using erroneous information, and then stating that other communities are therefore “savvier”, does not help the situation, and does a disservice to the efforts of the members of the Wellness and Health Action Coalition who are working hard to improve our situation.
Barbara Roden
Ashcroft