VANCOUVER -- Just-released data from a software company that monitors Canada's walk-in clinics suggest British Columbians wait more than twice as long as Albertans to see a doctor, and residents of some cities wait more than two hours.
The information from Medimap suggests B.C. is among the worst when it comes to wait times of the six provinces examined.
The company based in White Rock, B.C., describes itself as Canada's largest resource for connecting patients with same-day care. It currently operates in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Nova Scotia, and monitors more than 900 clinics.
Of those six provinces, B.C.'s average wait times appear to be among the worst, and seven cities in the province made the top 10.
Data collected by the site between November 2018 through October 2019 suggested the average wait in B.C. is 50 minutes, second only to Nova Scotia, where Maritimers wait an average of 69 minutes.
B.C.'s time is more than double that of Alberta, where patients wait an average of just 23 minutes, according to Medimap.
Ontarians don't wait much longer, with an average of 25 minutes.
Residents of Saskatchewan wait an average of 37 minutes, and Manitobans wait 29.
Worst cities in Canada
But, Medimap said, city by city the wait times vary significantly. While the Ontario average is among the lowest, those in cities including Kingston, Barrie and Cambridge are estimated to wait between 70 and 80 minutes to speak to a doctor.
In Morineville, Alta., patients wait about an a hour and a half on average, Medimap said.
The worst wait time across all the Canadian cities in which clinics are monitored by Medimap is in B.C. Residents of Sidney waited an average of 180 minutes, according to the site's data. Langford and Victoria came in second and third.
Other B.C. cities were also in the top 10. Here's the full ranking, according to Medimap:
- Sidney, B.C. – 180 minutes
- Langford, B.C. – 117 minutes
- Victoria – 92 minutes
- Morinville, Alta. – 91 minutes
- Maple Ridge, B.C. – 91 minutes
- Halifax – 91 minutes
- Nanaimo, B.C. – 82 minutes
- Williams Lake, B.C. – 80 minutes
- Kingston, Ont. – 77 minutes
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Pitt Meadows, B.C. – 75 minutes
Worst wait times in B.C.'s Lower Mainland
A quick search of Vancouver walk-ins on Medimap's site shortly before 10 a.m. Wednesday suggested wait times varied from 10 minutes at a clinic on Cambie Street near Queen Elizabeth Park to a whopping three hours at a spot on Main Street near King Edward Avenue.
On average, Medimap suggested, the wait time for walk-ins in B.C.'s most populous city is 53 minutes.
Of the clinics monitored by the company, these are the five cities with the worst wait times in B.C.'s Lower Mainland:
- Maple Ridge – 91 minutes
- Pitt Meadows – 75 minutes
- Coquitlam – 58 minutes
- Vancouver – 53 minutes
- Port Moody – 52 minutes
