B.C. walk-ins have longest average waits across Canada

British Columbians wait the longest on average to see a doctor at walk-in clinics compared to elsewhere in Canada, according to a report. Those in B.C. who visited a walk-in clinic in 2023 spent an average of 93 minutes in the waiting room before being treated, 14 minutes longer than in 2022 and 25 minutes longer than the national average of 68 minutes.

The data comes courtesy of the Medimap walk-in clinic wait time index, based on data from clinics in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Nova Scotia that use Medimap software to record and post waiting times. According to Medimap, approximately 70 per cent of clinics in Canada — and 60 per cent in B.C. — use their software.

Within B.C., North Vancouver had the longest average waiting times, with an average wait of 187 minutes, up 27 minutes from its 2022 figure. Victoria reported the second longest average wait time, with most patients waiting about 107 minutes, and Kelowna the third longest wait time average of 104 minutes. The shortest average waiting times in B.C. appeared to be 44 minutes in Chilliwack, followed by 55 minutes in Abbotsford and 62 minutes in Vancouver.

“B.C. has an unusual problem on its hands — recent changes to the physician payment model have resulted in some walk-in clinics actually closing,” said Thomas Jankowski, CEO of Medimap. “… So while some people are getting better, more encompassing care if they get rostered at a medical clinic, those without one sometimes end up suffering more.”

In Manitoba, patients waited on average 45 minutes to see a walk-in clinic doctor. In Ontario, the wait was 29 minutes. In Alberta. it was 66 minutes.