B.C. has longest walk-in doctor wait times in Canada, report finds
If you are without a family doctor in the capital region, it is no secret that accessing a walk-in clinic can be a challenge. A new report is now showing just how bad it has gotten.
Chantel lives in Langford, B.C., and has a family doctor, but when her son developed an ear infection, she couldn’t wait and had to turn to a walk-in clinic for help.
“They were actually full for the entire day,” said the mother of two.
It’s a common story heard time and time again, up and down Vancouver Island.
A report conducted by Medimap, an online walk-in clinic resource that shows estimated wait times at clinics throughout Canada, is shining a light on how bad it actually is.
“B.C., in and of itself, is the worst province across Canada,” said Thomas Jankowski, CEO of Medimap.
In this province, North Vancouver has the longest wait times with people waiting, on average, 187 minutes to see a doctor.
In second place sits Victoria, with an average wait time of 107 minutes.
“We have a supply and demand issue,” said Jankowski.
He says there are a number of reasons why our wait times are so bad – doctors retiring out of the profession, high immigration, and B.C.’s new compensation structure for physicians.
The changes "pay doctors for longitudinal support as opposed to individual appointments,” said the CEO.
The idea is that care will improve, giving doctors more time to spend with patients. While Health Minister Adrian Dix credits the pay structure with increasing the number of family doctors in B.C. by hundreds, critics say it has had an adverse effect on walk-in clinics.
“Now the doctors have shifted into this model that pays them more but are often, at times, providing up to 25 per cent less appointment slots to people,” said Jankowski.
As an example of the impact, two walk-in clinics on the Saanich Peninsula will no longer be accepting walk-ins as of March 31. Instead the clinics will focus its doctors on those patients already attached to a family physician.
Dix noted there are 708 more family doctors working in the province this year than last, plus dozens of nurse practitioners – and said B.C. has also added more Urgent and Primary Care Centres.
"There are now 30 of them," he said.
Those Urgent Primary Care Centres have also faced numerous challenges since opening their doors in 2018, include doctor shortages, overcapacity issues and their own long wait times.
Those Urgent Primary Care Centres are not reflected in Medimap’s report.
“We have no way of accessing the Urgent Primary Care Centre data in B.C. specifically,” said Jankowski.
That means we don’t know the extent of how much those Urgent Primary Care Centres are relieving the pressure on the walk-in clinics we have left.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Robert Pickton to remain in medically induced coma until later this week: police
Serial killer Robert Pickton will remain in a medically induced coma for at least the next few days following an attack in a Quebec prison Sunday, according to police spokesperson Hugues Beaulieu.
Charlie Colin, founding member of the pop-rock band Train, dies at 58
Charlie Colin, bassist and founding member of the American pop-rock band Train, best known for their early-aughts hits like 'Drops of Jupiter' and 'Meet Virginia,' has died. He was 58.
'Five feet nothing': Pickton's safety likely behind Quebec transfer, says ex-prison judge
When serial killer Robert Pickton was transferred from British Columbia's Kent Institution to a maximum security prison in Quebec about six years ago, correctional authorities gave no public explanation or confirmation at the time, citing privacy.
'I feel betrayed': Ottawa-area customers out thousands of dollars warn of bad faith contractor
A group of people from eastern Ontario and western Quebec is issuing a warning about Dennis Walker and his company Vue Windows.
Fancy pigeon outfitted in custom diaper has free rein in B.C. family home
When Chrissy Chin volunteered to take in a fancy pigeon abandoned on a park bench, she never imagined she would one day be ordering custom-made diapers for the bird – who lives in her house and has become a member of the family.
'We'll need all hands on deck': Details emerge after deadly boat crash near Kingston
Police say they have wrapped up their on-scene investigation into a deadly boat crash in eastern Ontario as details of the incident begin to emerge.
WestJet planning new fare category for travellers willing to forgo carry-on bag
WestJet Airlines plans to launch a new cheaper fare category that would be available to travellers willing to fly without a carry-on bag.
5 dead and at least 35 hurt in Iowa tornado: officials
Five people died and at least 35 were hurt as powerful tornadoes ripped through Iowa Tuesday, with one carving a path of destruction through the town of Greenfield, officials said.
Woman found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017 matches identity of missing person in Switzerland
Genetic genealogy has helped Toronto police identify a woman who was found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017.