Patients in British Columbia faced the longest average wait-time to see a physician at a walk-in clinic across Canada in 2021, 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.
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, White Rock, North Vancouver and Vancouver also recorded average wait-times that were 60 minutes or longer.
“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, in a news release. “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. Both provinces have seen their wait-times improve over the past two years.
Walk-in clinics in Manitoba and Saskatchewan also saw their average wait times decrease from 2019, with the average wait time in Manitoba 20 minutes and the average wait time in Saskatchewan 31 minutes. 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.