British Columbia has 2nd worst wait times for walk-in clinics in Canada: Poll

Official Opposition Leader Kevin Falcon of the BC Liberals has called for changes after a report showed British Columbians had to wait an average of 79 minutes – almost a game of professional football complete – before seeing a doctor in a walk-in clinic in 2022.

Only residents of Nova Scotia waited longer, at 83 minutes, according to the Walk-in Clinic Wait Time Index produced by technology company Medimap.

In 2021, British Columbians waited 58 minutes – which was the longest at the time nationally.

Falcon said the new figures show B.C.’s health care system is deteriorating as one in five residents remain without a family doctor.

“Yet (Prime Minister) David Eby signaled the same by keeping Adrian Dix as health minister,” he said. “Nothing they do is going to change that in the near future.”

Falcon accused the government of not being prepared. A lot of work should have already been done to train more doctors and attract more foreign-trained doctors, he added. “They are in the sixth year of government, for God’s sake,” he said. “They only presented a health human resources plan six months after two government terms.”

Medimap’s survey in six provinces found that Canadians had to wait an average of 37 minutes to see a doctor at a walk-in clinic.

RELATED: Five walk-in clinics in Greater Victoria get funding for doctor and nurse positions

Four of the 10 cities with the longest wait times in the country were in British Columbia: North Vancouver and Victoria with average wait times of 160 minutes and 137 minutes, respectively.

Falcon said a government under his leadership would do “a whole host of things” to improve the system and be measured by its results.

“We wouldn’t just make announcements,” he said. “We would roll up our sleeves and strive to make the changes you need to make to ensure you get different results.”

Falcon, who spoke to the media ahead of Monday’s Speech from the Throne, also took the opportunity to talk about the upcoming health care summit on Feb. 7 which will be attended by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and provincial and territorial leaders. .

He said he would ask the federal government for additional support focused on innovation and results.

“Right now, giving more money to this NDP government, when we’ve seen six years of deteriorating outcomes in every measure of the health care system, is not going to be a good thing.”

Falcon also later called for lean health care bureaucracy.

Black Press Media has contacted the provincial government for comment.

@wolfgangdepner
wolfgang.depner@blackpress.ca
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