Categories Health

BC’s Healthcare Crisis: Over 1 Million Waiting for Specialist Care

A recent survey has revealed a growing healthcare crisis in British Columbia, with more than one million residents waiting to see a specialist. Conducted by the Consultant Specialists of BC in partnership with Doctors of BC, the survey highlights a waitlist crisis that is severely impacting patient health and straining medical professionals.

Wait Times Reach Critical Levels

On average, a specialist’s waitlist contains 282 patients. Urgent cases may receive an initial consultation within four weeks, while semi-urgent cases wait up to 10 weeks. However, non-urgent cases face delays of up to 10 months—before even beginning additional diagnostic procedures and treatments.

“For years, specialist doctors have had concerns about the increasing number of patients waiting for care,” said Dr. Charlene Lui, president of Doctors of BC. “This impacts patient health while also contributing to physician burnout and reduced quality of life.”

A Struggling Healthcare System

With a shortage of specialists, 70% of surveyed doctors reported increasing their workloads to manage growing waitlists. Only 11% believe patients have adequate access to care, with even fewer confident in the system’s ability to ensure timely treatment.

B.C. Health Minister Josie Osborne acknowledged the problem but emphasized that the province is working to hire more doctors and expand operating room capacity. “We’ve reduced the backlog from COVID surgeries, which allows us to really tackle the issue of the need for specialists and specialist surgeries,” she said.

Proposed Solutions

Doctors are calling for urgent reforms, including:

  • Modernizing waitlist management systems to streamline patient referrals.
  • Expanding team-based care to distribute workloads more efficiently.
  • Introducing flexible payment models to improve access to care.
  • Investing in specialist training and recruitment to address shortages.
  • Enhancing rural outreach to support under-resourced communities.

Dr. Robert Carruthers, president of Consultant Specialists of BC, expressed frustration that little progress has been made. “Two years ago, we found that around one million British Columbians were waiting for specialist care. It’s disheartening to see that things have only worsened.”

With mounting pressure from healthcare professionals and patients alike, the province faces a critical challenge in addressing its specialist shortage before the system reaches a breaking point.

About The Author

Kaasvi Bhatia is a Media Studies student at the University of British Columbia with a passion for digital storytelling and content creation.
Outside of work, Kaasvi enjoys playing tennis, running, and spending time with her friends.

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