B.C. had the highest average wait times for walk-in clinics in Canada in 2023 according to a report by the online platform Medimap.
The Medimap Walk-in Clinic Wait Time Index shows patients in the province had to wait an average of 93 minutes to see a doctor at a walk-in clinic last year, 25 minutes longer than the national average of 68 minutes.
North Vancouver had the longest average wait times at 187 minutes, followed by Victoria at 107 minutes, Kelowna at 104 minutes, and Richmond at 96 minutes.
“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, exacerbating the very problem the change was trying to address,” said Thomas Jankowski, CEO of Medimap.
Cities with the shortest average wait times include Burnaby (82 minutes), Vancouver (62 minutes), Abbotsford (55 minutes) and Chilliwack (44 minutes).
Manitoba and Ontario had the shortest average wait times nationally in 2023 with patients waiting 45 minutes and 59 minutes, respectively.
Patients in Alberta had to wait 66 minutes to see a doctor at a walk-in clinic last year.
More information can be found on the Medimap Walk-in Clinic Wait Time Index.
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