Patients in BC experienced longest Walk-in Clinic Wait Time across Canada

A new report from Medimap has highlighted the continued crisis in B.C.’s primary care system. The Walk-in Clinic Wait Time Index found that patients in British Columbia and Nova Scotia experienced the longest average wait times across Canada in 2022.

On average, British Columbians had to wait more than triple the amount of time (79 minutes) to see a physician at a walk-in clinic, compared to Ontarians who waited an average of 25 minutes. In BC residents of North Vancouver have the longest wait times in all of Canada, with an average wait of 160 minutes per visit, closely followed by Victoria at 137 minutes.

The report found that the national wait time average across the country is 37 minutes, a 12 minute increase from 2021 when it was 25 minutes. All provinces saw an increase in overall average wait times.

Ontario and Manitoba have the shortest average wait times in 2022.While Ontario had the lowest wait times across the country, it increased by 10 minutes in 2022 up from 15 minutes in 2021.