Our Medical Community
As of 2025, there were 19 family practice clinics with 83 physicians providing services throughout the community. The region is also home to a number of specialists from the departments of Anesthesia, Emergency Medicine, General Surgery, Geriatrics, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Orthopedics, Ophthalmology, Pediatrics, Plastic Surgery, Psychiatry, Radiology, and Urology.
Acute care for the region is provided at the Cowichan District Hospital (CDH) in Duncan, which
currently has 148 funded beds. CDH is complemented by two urgent care centres in Chemainus and Ladysmith.
Construction on a new hospital began in 2023 and is projected to be completed by 2027. The new facility will have increased capacity (204 beds) and will provide better access to care and resources for the community.
Cowichan is also a PCN (Primary Care Network) community, an initiative developed as part of BC’s broader Primary Care Strategy. Learn more about Cowichan’s PCN here. And, as of October 2025, Cowichan was home to a new Urgent & Primary Care Centre, also part of the province’s overarching primary care system transformation.
Island Health
Island Health is responsible for delivering health and care services to a large population across Vancouver Island, most islands in the Salish Sea and the Johnstone Strait, and several mainland communities north of Powell River. Island Health consists of a diverse team of healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurse practitioners, midwives, and dentists, along with volunteers, foundations, and auxiliaries.
With numerous facilities and community locations, Island Health offers a wide range of health services, such as public health support, primary healthcare, home and community care, mental health and substance use services, and acute care in hospitals, among others, catering to the unique needs of our geographically diverse region.
Cowichan Division of Family Practice
The Cowichan Valley Division of Family Practice (CVDFP) was incorporated in 2009 to support family doctors working in our region. With over 200 members, the focus is on local needs and solutions shaped by the Cowichan community.
Our mission: Working collaboratively with our partners and representing the collective voice of our members, CVDFP seeks to create economically responsible and sustainable ways to:
- Support family physicians and nurse practitioners to improve their clinical practices and professional satisfaction
- Identify gaps that exist in patient care in the Cowichan region
- Develop solutions to meet the community’s needs and common health care goals and in doing so:
- Improve the patient experience of care
- Improve the health of the population
- Ensure efficient utilization of health care resources
Strong partnerships with Island Health, Cowichan District Hospital, First Nations communities, and local health networks keep us connected and supported. Working in Cowichan means joining a collaborative medical community where relationships and teamwork lead to better care.
For more information about CVDFP, contact: tlittmann@cvdfp.ca.
Cowichan District Medical Society
The Cowichan District Medical Society (CDMS) members are the physicians, midwives, dentists and nurse practitioners who help care for patients at the Cowichan District Hospital. Our mission is to promote engagement of our members in collaborating both between ourselves and with our partners in attaining the highest possible level of health and well-being for the people of our region. We are now funded as part of the Specialist Services Committee Facility Engagement initiative, but have been planning and delivering excellent health care as a society for over fifty
years.
We have an Executive, supported by an Advisory Committee, whose main goal is to facilitate the involvement of members in attaining our mission and strategic objectives:
- Engage our members to provide input to improve the quality of health care services • Collaborate with stakeholders in planning and developing strategic initiatives • Support our member’s satisfaction by seeking their suggestions and working together toward improvements
For more information about the CDMS, contact: cdmsleads@cowichandoctors.ca.
Doctors of BC
Founded in 1900, originally as the BC Medical Association, Doctors of BC is a provincial association of over 16,000 physician members, working to support BC’s doctors to be leaders in delivering and improving patient care.
Its direction and priorities are: increase the influence of the physician voice; promote physician health, wellness, and safety; ensure fair compensation and provide business support; engage members on the future of the profession and the culture of medicine.
Learn more about membership here.
Family Practice Services Committee
FPSC works on behalf of doctors to strengthen full-service family practice and patient care in BC. It is one of four joint collaborative committees that represent a partnership of the Government of BC and Doctors of BC. FPSC has representation from the Ministry of Health and Doctors of BC, plus guest members from BC Family Doctors, and health authorities.
The FPSC supports doctors to take leadership and influence the delivery of primary care in BC by enriching doctor and patient experiences, empowering doctors to enhance patient care, and contributing to a sustainable health care system.
Specialist Services Committee
The Specialist Services Committee (SSC) is one of four joint collaborative committees, a unique partnership between Doctors of BC and the Ministry of Health, with regular representation from health authorities. The SSC works to enhance specialist practice and work environments; enable specialists to be change leaders in the health system; and support specialist care innovation.
Facility Engagement is a BC-wide initiative of the SCC, fostering meaningful consultation and collaboration among facility-based medical staff and health authorities on shared priorities that improve patient care and the work environment, while strengthening communication, relationships, and effective processes for working together.
BC Family Doctors
BC Family Doctors is a political and economic voice of family doctors across the province. This member-funded organization works to strengthen the broader healthcare system and serve family doctors across diverse regions, areas of practice and stages of career, representing physicians at tables where the voices of family doctors need to be heard.