B.C.’s walk-in clinic wait times highest in Canada, says tracking firm

Patients in British Columbia faced the longest average wait-time to see a doctor at a walk-in clinic across Canada in 2021.

That’s according to the latest data provided by Medimap, a Canadian tech company that publishes online wait-times for hundreds of walk-in medical clinics across the country.

(Image credit: Medimap)

On average, British Columbians had to wait 58 minutes to see a physician at a walk-in clinic last year, which is 15 minutes longer than in 2019 and significantly longer than the national average of 25 minutes.

Six of the top 10 cities with the longest average wait times across Canada in 2021 were located in British Columbia with Victoria recording the longest average wait time at 161 minutes, which is more than 2.5 hours. Kelowna (91 minutes, second longest in Canada), White Rock, North Vancouver and Vancouver also recorded average wait-times that were 60 minutes or longer.

Vernon, which has two walk-in clinics, was not included in the survey.

“Many Canadians rely on walk-in clinics when they need to see a doctor. We created Medimap as a simple solution that saves time and frustration for these people when they need access to care,” said Blake Adam, CEO and founder of Medimap. “By partnering with clinic owners to provide patients with easy access to wait times at clinics in their community we are able to significantly improve access to care and contribute to a more efficient health-care system.”

In comparison, Ontario and Alberta had the shortest average wait times in 2021 with patients in Ontario waiting only 15 minutes to see a physician. Patients in Alberta had to wait on average 18 minutes.

Walk-in clinics in Manitoba and Saskatchewan also saw their average wait times decrease from 2019, with the average in Manitoba at 20 minutes, and 31 minutes for Saskatchewan.

More details about the average wait time for walk-in clinics in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Nova Scotia can be found in the Medimap Walk-in Clinic Wait Time Index.