Strengthening Health Care

Family doctors and nurse practitioners are your primary connection to health care. We’re helping more people connect to health care providers by hiring and training hundreds more and making it easier to find one.

If you or a family member need a doctor or nurse practitioner, sign up on the Health Connect Registry.

What family doctors and nurse practitioners do

• Deliver consistent, long-term care to help you stay well throughout your life.
• Treat illnesses and injuries, support healthy living, manage chronic health conditions, and refer you to specialists when needed.
• Many work within a Primary Care Network – a team of health, mental health and social service professionals in your community – so you can get coordinated care specific to your needs.

How to register

• Sign up for a family doctor or nurse practitioner on the Health Connect Registry:
  • Online at healthlinkbc.ca/HCR
  • Call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1 to sign up or get help in other languages
• Provide your Personal Health Number (PHN), address, email and phone number
• Indicate if you have any health conditions to help us make the best match

Once you’re registered

• You will be notified once a family doctor or nurse practitioner is available so you can start the new patient intake process.
• While you’re on the waitlist, you will receive updates every 90 days to confirm if you still need a provider, update your health status if it changes, and get information on health services in your area.
• If your personal or health information changes, you can update your registration by calling 8-1-1.

Hundreds of people are getting matched with a family doctor or nurse practitioner every day through the Health Connect Registry. A record breaking 250,000 people were matched in 2024.

B.C. is expanding access to primary care by opening health centres in more communities and delivering better, faster care from teams of health care professionals.

Team-based care is the heart of B.C.’s Primary Care Strategy.

• For patients, team-based care means doctors, nurses and other health care professionals will work together to create a coordinated care plan specific to your needs.
• For health care providers, it means they can rely on the expertise of other specialists to help support patients, so they don’t need to provide all of the care alone.
• Team-based care has been shown to streamline care, improve patient experiences and health outcomes, reduce hospitalizations and doctor visits, and make the health system more efficient.

Actions we're taking

• Established more than 90 Primary Care Networks to connect health care teams with community organizations, who work together to streamline and coordinate patient services and address the unique primary care needs of each community.
• Opening 50 Urgent and Primary Care Centres to give people better access to same-day, urgent, non-emergency health care, expand access to primary health care on evenings and weekends, and add primary care capacity to communities.
• Opening 15 Community Health Centres to bring health and social services together to deliver services that meet the unique needs of people within the community.
• Opening 15 First Nations Primary Care Centres in partnership with First Nations Health Authority to meet the health and cultural needs of First Nations.
• Opening 3 Nurse Practitioner led Primary Care Clinics with more to come, where nurse practitioners can lead care, diagnose and treat medical conditions, interpret tests, prescribe medications, and refer patients to specialists.
• Opening 35 Foundry Centres to provide integrated health and wellness services to youth aged 12-24 years. Virtual Foundry services can also be accessed from anywhere in the province.
• Supporting access to one-time episodic care while expanding access to long-term primary care options, including walk-in clinics for non-emergency issues, virtual care in rural and remote communities, and the After Hours Care pilot program.

How to access care

• Find Primary Care services in your community
• Call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1 for 24/7 health advice, speak with registered nurse, doctor, dietitian, pharmacist, exercise or mental health professional, or get connected to health services near you

Learn more

• B.C.’s Primary Care System
• Transforming our primary care system (PDF, 325KB)

Urgent and Primary Care Centres have collectively provided over 3 million patient visits since clinics started opening in 2018.

People living in rural, remote and Indigenous communities have unique needs and challenges accessing health care. We are working together on ways to deliver accessible, effective care closer to home no matter where you live.

Actions we're taking

• Building and renovating hospitals, health clinics, cancer centres and long-term care homes across B.C. to better serve growing communities and surrounding areas.
• Stabilizing health care and emergency services in rural communities by attracting rural doctors, nurses and other health care workers with recruitment, retention and training incentives and flexible work arrangements.
• Expanding GoHealth: Recruiting more nurses to join B.C.’s provincial travel staffing program to reduce reliance on private staffing agencies and overtime and expanding to include allied health providers like medical laboratory technologists to increase access to these providers in rural and remote communities.
• Taking additional steps to reduce temporary emergency room closures by recruiting more health workers to address staffing shortages, adding more acute and long-term care beds to improve patient flow in hospitals, and expanding home-health and home-support services.
• Deploying mobile diagnostic services, like ultrasound, MRI and CT scanners.
• Providing travel assistance to help cover travel and accommodation costs for people who must travel outside of their community for non-emergency specialist services or cancer care. Get a referral from your health care provider and call 1-800-661-2668 for help.
• Offering Virtual Care specific to rural, remote and First Nations communities:
  • Real-Time Virtual Support (RCCbc)
  • First Nations Virtual Doctor of the Day (fnha.ca) 
  • Virtual Substance Use and Psychiatry Service (fnha.ca)
  • Virtual Clinic (Northern Health)
• Supporting First Nations-led projects to address health equity and improve health outcomes, such as:
  • Opening First Nations Primary Care Centres in partnership with the First Nations Health Authority to meet the health and cultural needs of First Nations.
  • Supporting the development of 8 First Nations treatment and healing centres; 6 are being renovated and 2 new facilities are being planned.
  • Supporting First Nations-led healing houses, healing modalities, and treatment and recovery centres through the Indigenous Treatment, Recovery and Aftercare Services Program. 

How to access care

• Find Primary Care services in your community
• Call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1 for 24/7 health advice, speak with a registered nurse, doctor, dietitian, pharmacist, exercise or mental health professional, or get connected to health services near you.

Learn more

• B.C.’s Primary Care System

More than 400 GoHealth travel health workers provided over 430,000 hours of care in 2024.

Pharmacists are an important part of your health care team. People in B.C. can now see a pharmacist to assess and treat minor ailments and prescribe free birth control – relieving pressure on doctors and hospitals.

What pharmacists can do

• Assess and treat 21 minor ailments like allergies, pink eye, rashes and urinary tract infections
• Prescribe free contraceptives (birth control)
• Renew or change some prescriptions or provide an emergency supply
• Give vaccines or medications by injection
• Help you understand and manage your medications and other products
• Make recommendations for you to see another health care professional for further assessment if needed

How to access care

• Walk-in or book an appointment:
  • Find a pharmacy near you
  • Book an appointment online
  • Call 1-800-882-0022 for assistance or help in other languages
• Bring your ID and Personal Health Number
• Assessments for minor ailments are free for B.C. residents

Learn more

• Pharmacy services in B.C.

As of January 2025, pharmacists assessed 477,000 people to treat minor ailments or prescribe contraception since their scope of practice expanded in June 2023.

Money should not be a barrier to getting health care. That’s why we’re eliminating or lowering costs for you.

Some ways we are lowering costs for people

• Fair PharmaCare: All B.C. residents can sign up to pay less for prescriptions each year, depending on your income. After you meet the family deductible, it covers 70% of your medicine costs until your family reaches a second limit based on your income. Once you hit that limit, you don’t have to pay for eligible medications for the rest of the year.
• Free contraceptives (birth control): Many forms of prescription and emergency contraceptives are now free – talk to your pharmacist or health care provider to find the right option for you.
• Free diabetes and menopause treatments: Starting March 2026, the cost of many diabetes medications and hormone replacement therapy to treat menopause symptoms will be fully covered under BC PharmaCare in partnership with the Government of Canada.
• Free IVF treatment: People who need access to fertility treatment may be eligible for one free round of in-vitro fertilization (IVF), saving up to $19,000.
• Free or low-cost counselling: Individuals, couples and families can call 8-1-1 to access free, low-cost, or sliding-scale counselling services in-person or virtually to get support for family, mental health and substance use concerns.
• Free psychiatric medications: For people with financial and clinical need, certain psychiatric medications are fully covered.
• Free help to quit smoking: People of all ages can speak with a pharmacist to get free nicotine replacement gum, lozenges, patches or some medications. B.C.’s free support service, QuitNow, provides information and personalized coaching services to cut down or quit smoking and vaping. 
• Free opioid agonist treatment: People struggling with opioid use disorder can call the Opioid Treatment Access Line at 1-833-804-8111 to get same-day access to an opioid treatment medication that helps prevent withdrawals, cut craving and reduce the risk of overdose.
• Healthy Kids Program: Children under 19 of families with a net income under $42,000 per year can get help with the costs of basic dental, glasses and hearing care. Call 1-866-866-0800 to apply.
• Home and community care: People who need extra support to remain independent at home may be eligible for publicly subsidized care. Contact the home and community care office in your health authority or talk with your health care provider for a referral.
• Travel Assistance Program: People who must travel outside of their community for non-emergency specialist services can get help with travel costs. Get a referral from your health care provider and call 1-800-661-2668 for help.
• Cancer Travel and Accommodation Services: People who need to travel for cancer treatment can apply for funding to help ease travel expenses. Apply online or call Canadian Cancer Society BC at 1-888-939-3333 for help. 
• Eliminated Medical Service Plan (MSP) premiums: B.C. residents no longer pay for basic health care benefits, saving individuals $900 and families $1,800 a year.

B.C. is the first in Canada to make birth control free and we continue working to bring down other medication costs through BC PharmaCare.

We’re working to improve access to reproductive health care at all stages of life.

Actions we're taking

• Free birth control: Removing barriers to contraceptives:
  • Costs – Most forms of prescription birth control and emergency contraceptives are now free under BC PharmaCare coverage.
  • Access – Pharmacists and some registered nurses can now prescribe and provide birth control. A doctor's or reproductive health clinic visit is still needed to insert implants and IUDs.
• Free IVF treatment: Reducing barriers to parenthood by providing one free round of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment to people experiencing infertility.
• Building or expanding maternity wards and neonatal intensive-care units in hospitals across the province.
• Expanding midwifery services: Making maternity care more accessible, especially in rural and Indigenous communities, by:
  • Increasing support for midwives by providing more training opportunities, higher wages, better benefits, and more flexibility to practice in hospitals and provide maternity services anywhere in the province.
  • Establishing an Indigenous Sexual Reproductive and Infant Health Committee to focus on reclaiming and supporting Indigenous birth practices, creating a long-term plan for Indigenous midwifery and maternity care in B.C., and developing community-driven programs and policies based on the needs of First Nations.
• Free cervix self-screening kits: People 25 to 69 can order an HPV testing kit to self-screen for the human papillomavirus (HPV) at home or at a clinic by a health care provider. HPV is the leading cause of cervical cancer.
• Expanding gynecological cancer care: Improving access to cancer care by adding new gynecological oncology surgical services in Kelowna and Surrey, expanding existing services in Vancouver and Victoria, hiring more gynecological oncologists, clinicians and support staff, and increasing operating room hours.
• Free menopause treatment: Starting March 2026, hormone replacement therapy to treat menopause symptoms will be free under BC PharmaCare in partnership with the Government of Canada.

As of January 2025, over 300,000 people received free contraceptives since April 2023 when B.C. became the first in Canada to offer it at no cost.

The issues people are facing with mental health, addiction and homelessness have gotten harder in recent years. The toxic drug supply has become more dangerous and deadly – hurting loved ones and communities.

There is no one-sized-fits-all solution to treating addiction. That’s why we’re taking action on all fronts to help people get the care they need, when and where they need it, no matter how many tries it takes.

Building better mental health and addictions care

• Intervening early to help people access care sooner by increasing supports in schools, expanding youth Foundry Centres, providing free or low-cost counselling, and supporting parents and caregivers.
• Reducing risk to save lives through harm reduction and overdose prevention services so people stay alive to get the treatment and care they need.
• Connecting people to treatment and care by urgently expanding treatment options, opening more mental health and substance-use treatment beds, and expanding the Road to Recovery model that seamlessly moves people through detox, treatment and recovery services.
• Creating pathways to recovery and wellness with ongoing support in the community to help people rebuild lives and prevent relapses.
• Supporting people in our communities by addressing root causes like trauma, poverty and homelessness and expanding civilian-led crisis response teams.
• Adding more mental health and addiction care workers by increasing and streamlining training through the Health Career Access Program.

How to access care

• If you’re experiencing a mental health emergency, call 9-1-1 or go to your local emergency department.
• Find mental health and addiction supports in your area:
  • Talk to your primary care provider
  • Call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1 for 24/7 health advice
  • Visit HelpStartsHere.gov.bc.ca

B.C. has opened over 700 substance-use treatment and recovery beds since 2017, bringing the total to more than 3,700. Over 5,300 people received live-in treatment and recovery support in 2023 – 1,100 more than in 2022.

We are committed to protecting the vital public health services all British Columbians count on as we face the demands of a growing, aging population and budget constraints from unprecedented economic threats from outside Canada.

Actions we're taking

• Reviewing all Ministry of Health programs and initiatives to ensure they support the health of British Columbians while keeping costs manageable.
• Reviewing Health Authorities to reduce unnecessary administrative spending and direct resources to front-line patient care.
• Seizing opportunities to strengthen health care delivery with innovative approaches and emerging technologies.

Learn more

• Read the Minister of Health’s mandate letter (PDF, 150KB)
• Health authority review launches to ensure support for front-line services (March 2025) 
• Health authority review expands (June 2025) 

Demand for cancer care continues to rise as our population grows and ages. About 50% of British Columbians will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their life.

Better treatments help people live longer, healthier lives. Through B.C.’s 10-year Cancer Care Action Plan we’re taking immediate steps to better prevent, detect and treat cancer now, and prepare for the growing needs of the future.

10-Year goals

• Secure a cancer-free future for more people, including eliminating cervical cancer in B.C.
• Help thousands more people survive cancer and extend the duration and quality of life for those living with cancer.
• Ensure B.C.’s cancer care system delivers modern, evidence-based care.

Actions we're taking

• Improving prevention and detection:
  • Expand screening programs to detect breast, cervical, colon, lung and hereditary cancers sooner, including the new at-home cervical self-screening kits.
  • Improve vaccination initiatives to eradicate cancers caused by HPV.
• Improving access to treatment:
  • Extend hours of service at cancer centres so more patients can access testing, treatment and radiation, faster.
  • Expand access to clinical trials, genomic testing and new diagnostic and targeted treatment such as CAR-T (immunotherapy).
  • Increase travel funding to help more people living in rural and remote communities cover the costs of travel to appointments.
  • Build four new cancer centres in Burnaby, Kamloops, Nanaimo and Surrey, for a total of 10, to bring cancer care closer to home for more people.
• Providing more team-based care:
  • Hire more oncologists and cancer-care specialists to expand multi-disciplinary care teams.
  • New pay structures to help recruit and retain more oncologists in B.C.
  • Increase training seats and provide new bursaries and scholarships to help more people train for cancer care team positions like radiation therapists, medical imaging technologists and medical physicists.
  • Add more Indigenous patient navigators to directly support Indigenous patients.
• Strengthening supports and innovation:
  • Provide start-up and seed grants to attract more research talent.

Learn more

• B.C.’s 10-Year Cancer Care Action Plan - 2023 (PDF, 2,4MB)
• B.C.’s Cancer Action Plan Year-One Progress Report - June 2024 (PDF, 10,5MB)

In 2023-24, B.C. delivered 177,000 radiation treatments (up 5%) and 84,400 chemotherapy treatments (up 9%) than the previous year.

We’re working with health authorities to deliver better, faster surgical care so patients can recover and return to their daily lives sooner.

Actions we’re taking

• Extended operating room hours to run evenings and weekends, where available. In 2023-24, a record 365,825 surgeries were completed.
• Building and expanding operating rooms in hospitals to increase capacity.
• Hiring more surgeons and surgical care teams: B.C. has added 189 surgeons, 152 anesthesiologists, 313 perioperative nurses, 12 general physician/family physician anesthetists and 106 medical device reprocessing technicians between April 2020 and March 2024.
• Training more surgical specialty nurses: 692 specialty surgical nurses completed their training in 2023-24, bringing the total number of surgical nurses trained to 1,634 since April 2020.

Learn more

• B.C.’s surgical renewal plan – May 2020 (PDF, 256KB)
• B.C.’s surgical renewal progress report – 2023-24 (PDF, 560KB)
• B.C.’s surgical renewal commitment delivers record surgeries (May 2024)

Operating rooms ran 52,600+ hours longer in 2023-24 (up 9%) than in 2019-20.

Demand for ambulance services continues to rise with our growing and aging population and challenges from the toxic drug crisis.

We’re working to improve ambulance services in B.C. with faster response times, better coverage and more support to recruit, retain and train paramedics.

Actions we’re taking

• Added 658 ambulances and 273 support vehicles in 2023-24, an 88% increase since 2017.
• Added 5 more air ambulances between 2017 and 2024, bringing the total to 15, to improve emergency care in hard-to-reach areas.
• Hired 1,104 new paramedics since 2017, bringing the total to 5,040.
• Phased out the on-call model and introduced a new scheduling model in 2024 to ensure unique community needs are met, paramedics are better supported, and patients have faster access to care.
• Transitioned many part-time positions to full time and added 271 full-time positions to support the new scheduling models. 62% of paramedics have permanent positions as of 2024, a 28% increase from 2017-18.
• Increase paramedics’ scope of practice in 2022 and expanded training programs so they can handle a wider range of medical needs.
• Established a new model of care in 2024 so non-life-threatening calls are linked to the right health and mental health services, reducing strain on emergency services. More than 14,000 people avoided trips to the emergency room as of May 2024.
• Hired 175 B.C. EHS mental health professionals in 2024 to better support paramedics, dispatchers, call-takers and their families.

Learn more

• B.C. transformed ambulance system, record number of people supported (May 2024)

Ambulance wait times decreased by nearly 20% for people with life-threatening conditions in rural and remote communities, from 8 minutes and 53 seconds in 2017 to 7 minutes and 14 seconds in 2023.

B.C. is the first province in Canada to establish minimum nurse-to-patient ratios in hospitals, setting a clear standard for how many patients a nurse can care for.

Ratios allow nurses to spend more time with patients, which improves health outcomes, shortens hospital stays, and creates safer work environments. Nurse-to-patient ratios are also an important recruitment strategy.

Actions we’re taking

• Nurse-to-patient ratios are being implemented in some hospital settings like emergency departments, neo-natal intensive care units, post-anesthesia care units, maternity units, operating rooms, and alternative care areas.
• Plans are underway to expand nursing ratios to long-term care, assisted living, and other community care settings.
• Grow our nursing workforce:
  • Registered 10,400 new nurses of all types in 2024, bringing the total to over 75,000, according to the B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives, with thousands more to come.
  • Nursing Tuition Grant of $2,000 per year for students enrolled in eligible nursing programs, along with a $500 bursary for new graduates to help with licensing exam fees.
  • Indigenous Student Recruitment Bursary of $5,000 per year to students enrolled in eligible programs: Nurse Practitioner, Practical Nursing and Psychiatric Nursing.
  • Career development support for nurses interested in advancing their skills in emergency and critical care through mentorship, paid work programs and tuition support.

Learn more

• Minimum nurse-to-patient ratios
• Better patient care, more nurses coming to B.C. (November 2024)

The global shortage of health workers is being especially felt in emergency departments. When emergency rooms do not have enough staff on shift due to vacancies or illnesses they may need to close temporarily and send patients to other hospitals.

We’re making progress on avoiding temporary closures, but there’s more work to do.

Actions we are taking

• Addressing staff shortages by hiring and training thousands more doctors, nurses and health workers with good pay, better conditions and faster credential recognition.
• Strengthening the Emergency Physician Resource Team with better contracts and income guarantees to recruit and support a flexible pool of doctors who can travel where needed to provide short-term coverage to keep EDs open while working to fill permanent positions.
• Expanding GoHealth: Recruiting more nurses to join B.C.’s provincial travel staffing program to reduce reliance on private staffing agencies and overtime and expanding to include allied health providers like medical laboratory technologists to increase access to these providers in rural and remote communities.
• Adding more acute and long-term care beds to improve patient flow in hospitals.
• Supporting B.C. Emergency Health Services (B.C. EHS) transfers of patients between communities with temporary ED diversions.
• Expanding home-health and home-support services to better help seniors and other patients manage their health care needs and age well at home in their communities.

Indigenous and racialized people experience racism and discrimination when accessing health care, resulting in barriers to care and poorer health outcomes.

B.C. is working to identify and remove the policies and practices that contribute to systemic racism to make sure racialized people do not experience judgment, rejection, abuse or harm when trying to get the care they need.

Actions we’re taking

• Anti-Racism Data Act, implemented in 2022, requires the government to publish annual statistics on systemic racism and racial equity, which provides the facts and evidence needed to inform solutions.
• Anti-Racism Act, effective May 2024, requires the government to identify and remove barriers for Indigenous and racialized people accessing services in hospitals, schools, courts, and other public institutions.
• In Plain Sight: Addressing Indigenous-specific Racism and Discrimination in B.C. Health Care Report (PDF, 15,5MB), released in 2020, made 24 recommendations on ways to address Indigenous-specific racism in the health care system. Work to implement these recommendations is underway.
• Health Professions and Occupations Act, effective November 2022, requires regulatory colleges to take anti-discrimination measures and makes discrimination a form of misconduct to protect the public from harm.
• B.C.’s Health Human Resources Strategy (PDF, 3MB), released in 2022, outlines key actions to address systemic racism, improve health outcomes and increase access to care:
  • Increasing representation: Working to recruit and retain Indigenous and racialized people in health care roles, from frontline providers to leadership positions. This includes promoting healthcare careers to Indigenous youth and expanding training opportunities in rural and remote communities.
  • Antiracism, cultural safety and cultural humility: Integrating reconciliation and trauma-informed care into training programs so health care providers are better equipped to serve Indigenous and racialized communities.
  • Supporting Indigenous health care workers: Expanding support, coaching, mentorship and leadership development opportunities to help people succeed.
  • Encouraging reporting racism: Promoting a ‘speak up’ culture to encourage healthcare workers to report incidents of racism and provide resources and support for those affected.
  • Collaborating with the First Nations Health Authority: Working together to develop and implement standards for achieving Indigenous cultural safety and ending racism in the health care system.
• Unlearning and Undoing White Supremacy and Racism in the Office of the Provincial Health Officer (OPHO): The OPHO is committed to upholding the inherent rights of Indigenous Peoples and seeing the ways racism and white supremacy show up in policies, practices and processes. The OPHO is deliberately taking anti-racist approaches and paying particular attention to the rights and needs of Indigenous elders, women, 2SLGBTQIA+, youth, children and persons with disabilities throughout this work.

Learn more

• Addressing systemic racism in B.C.
• Province acts to address Indigenous racism in health care (Nov 2023)
• Anti-racism research will help address gaps in government services (May 2024)

Initial findings from B.C.’s first demographic survey found Indigenous people may be disproportionately affected by diabetes, asthma and mood and anxiety disorders.

B.C. needs thousands more health workers to meet the demand of our growing and aging population.

We’re competing to attract the workers we need by providing targeted recruitment incentives, speeding up credential recognition, and making sure new hires feel welcome and supported.

Actions we’re taking

• Connecting health workers to job opportunities more quickly.
  • Team B.C. approach: Health authorities, regulatory colleges and other partners are working together to recruit health care professionals, helping candidates navigate the process, and matching the right people with the right positions.
  • BCHealthCareers.ca: Connects health care professionals worldwide to health care jobs in B.C. Recruitment specialists provide customized advice for your profession, credentials and interests and help with licensing and immigration requirements.
• Attracting doctors and nurses from the United States.
  • Fast-tracking credentials: Certified U.S.-trained doctors can be fully licensed in B.C. without the need for further assessment, examination or training. Nurses can now apply for their license directly without going through a third-party assessment.
  • Recruitment campaign: B.C. ran an advertising campaign inviting U.S. health care professionals to follow their heart and pursue a career in B.C.
• Removing barriers for internationally educated health care workers.
  • Speed up credential recognition: Requiring professional colleges to recognize the credentials of Canadian health workers in good standing immediately and internationally trained workers in 6 weeks.
  • Fast tracking credential recognition for doctors and nurses from the United States.
  • Remove financial barriers for nurses: Providing grants to offset training, application and assessment fees to encourage more nurses to start or return to practice in B.C.
  • Remove financial barriers for internationally educated allied health workers: Providing bursaries to offset training, application, and assessment fees to encourage more physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and medical laboratory technologists to practice in B.C.
  • BC Provincial Nominee Program: Increasing eligible occupations, like health care assistants, to attract new hires and provide a pathway to become a permanent resident.
  • Career Paths for Skilled Immigrants Program: Increasing the number of occupations eligible for case management services to fulfill qualification requirements and begin work in B.C.
  • Practice Ready Assessment Program: Tripling the number of seats available for internationally educated physicians who have completed Family Medicine residencies outside of Canada to gain experience in B.C., while working on getting licensed.
• Providing recruitment incentives to attract new health workers.
  • BC Loan Forgiveness Program: Forgives up to 100% of student loans for those working in select in-demand health occupations, in publicly funded facilities in underserved communities or with children.
  • Provincial Health Sector Housing Strategy: Addressing barriers to recruitment in communities where market housing is not readily available.
  • New to Practice Incentive Program: Offering competitive service contracts with a signing bonus and debt relief grants for recent graduates who choose to provide primary care.
  • Indigenous-Specific Recruitment Strategy: Creating pathways for Indigenous health workers and leaders.
  • Health and Care Careers Promotion Program: Expanding opportunities for high school students to learn about or gain experience working in health care.
• Improving onboarding and support transitions to practice.
  • New Graduate Transition Program: Supporting new graduates with mentorship, peer support and early-career training to reduce turnover in the early years.

Learn more

• B.C.’s Health Human Resources Strategy (PDF, 2.8MB)
• Provincial Allied Health Strategic Plan (PDF, 3.6MB)

B.C. is working hard to build a health care system that works for patients and health care providers.

This includes hiring more workers, providing more training opportunities, and retaining the workers we have by improving safety, offering incentives, supporting workers’ well-being and creating a safe, healthy work environment.

Actions we’re taking

• Supporting health and wellness: Expanding support for physical and psychological health and safety initiatives, adding security officers at major sites, providing violence prevention and trauma-informed training, and increasing mental health and peer support programs.
• Retaining staff in high needs areas and roles: Providing retention incentives, childcare and housing support, mentorship programs, and wage adjustments.
• Embedding reconciliation and cultural safety: Supporting Indigenous healthcare workers, addressing racism, and aligning actions with the principles of equity and anti-racism.
• Increasing workforce engagement: Gathering feedback on work environments to improve satisfaction and performance.

Learn more

• B.C.’s Health Human Resources Strategy (PDF, 2.8MB)
• Provincial Allied Health Strategic Plan (PDF, 3.6MB)

B.C. is investing in more opportunities to train the next generation of healthcare workers, help current staff move up in their careers, and make the workforce more diverse and adaptable.

Actions we’re taking

• Strengthening employer supported training models: Creating more opportunities for people to start careers in healthcare through ‘earn-and-learn' programs and expanding training opportunities to help workers grow in their careers and improve care, such as:
  • Health Career Access Program: Nearly 10,000 people have been hired to gain non-clinical experience in various health care settings while training to become a health care assistant or mental health and addictions worker.
  • Employed Student Nurse Program: Gain clinical experience in health care facilities in special paid part-time or part-year positions.
• Expanding and modernizing priority programs: Increasing training spaces in medical, nursing, midwifery and allied health education programs to train more healthcare workers and fill shortages across the province, including:
  • 40 new medical and 67 residency seats added in the last 2 years 
  • 602 new nursing training seats since 2017, bringing the total to 2,751
  • 1,000 advanced nurse training opportunities in specialty areas like acute and post-operative care
  • 20 new UBC midwifery program seats, bringing the total to 48
  • Hundreds more allied health training seats to triple radiation therapy seats, double occupational therapy, pharmacy technician, physiotherapy seats, and increase respiratory therapy seats by 25%
• Providing financial incentives for those who wish to train in priority health education programs, including:
  • Indigenous Student Recruitment Bursary provides $5,000 per year to support student enrollment and retention in eligible programs: Nurse Practitioner, Practical Nursing and Psychiatric Nursing.
  • Student Recruitment and Retention Bursary provides $2,000 per year to attract students to enroll in priority programs to help fill key health workforce gaps across the province.
• Opening a new medical school in 2026:
  • Simon Fraser University’s medical school in Surrey will focus on training family doctors to work in B.C. communities. Classes for the first cohort of 48 students will begin in summer of 2026, with plans to grow to 120 seats by 2036.

​​​​Learn more

• B.C.’s Health Human Resources Strategy (PDF, 2.8MB)
• Provincial Allied Health Strategic Plan (PDF, 3.6MB)

To meet B.C.'s health needs, it's not only about having more workers, but also using technology, teamwork, and new ways of working to deliver better care and better results for patients.

Actions we’re taking

• Reducing paperwork means more time for patients: Working to eliminate the need for workers to get sick notes for short-term absences, replacing fax and paper-based processes with digital systems, streamlining referral processes, consolidating and standardizing forms and improving information sharing between providers will let doctors spend more time with patients.
• Balancing workloads: Creating fair workloads and healthy work environments is key to recruiting and keeping staff. It also helps improve care quality.
• Optimizing team-based care: Helping health care providers transition to delivering care as part of interdisciplinary teams to improve patient care and balance workloads.
• Expanding scopes of practice: Maximizing the full skills of health workers to provide more care, starting with developing and expanding the roles of physician assistants, registered nurses, pharmacists and emergency medical assistants.
• Leveraging technology in health care: Expanding virtual care and telehealth services to improve access and efficiency especially in rural and remote areas, while ensuring care can be delivered in person. Using new tech like AI can improve care delivery, make health systems more efficient and improve workplace satisfaction.
• Increasing workforce flexibility: Offering locum contracts for new doctors and nurse practitioners to gain experience and cover services of providers on leave and making it easier for health care workers to practice in hospitals across regions.
• Expanding GoHealth: Recruiting more nurses to join B.C.’s provincial travel staffing program to reduce reliance on private staffing agencies and overtime and expanding to include allied health providers like medical laboratory technologists to increase access to these providers in rural and remote communities.
• Improving the Emergency Health Provider Registry: Improving how we track and deploy health workers to respond to emergencies across B.C.

Learn more

• B.C.’s Health Human Resources Strategy (PDF, 2.8MB)
• Provincial Allied Health Strategic Plan (PDF, 3.6MB)

We’re working with health authorities to build more hospitals, clinics, cancer centres and care homes in communities across the province, so you and your family can get the care you need closer to home. This is the largest investment in health capital projects in B.C.’s history.

Actions we’re taking

• Started or completed construction to build or upgrade:
  • 30 hospitals or health facilities, including new hospitals in Surrey and Duncan and newly completed hospitals in Fort St. James, Terrace, and the new patient care tower Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver.
  • 33 public and private long-term care centres, including new centres in Campbell River, Kelowna, Penticton and Richmond.
  • 4 cancer centres in Burnaby, Kamloops, Nanaimo and Surrey.
• Opening many more health clinics in communities across the province, including Urgent and Primary Care Centres, Community Health Centres, Foundry Centres and First Nations Primary Care Centres.
• Completing hundreds of maintenance and renovation projects to keep health care facilities safe and welcoming.

Learn more

• Health capital projects in B.C. 

As people age, their health needs change. We’re working to improve support for seniors whether they live at home, in assisted living or long-term care, to help them lead healthy, fulfilling lives in their communities and close to their loved ones.

Actions we’re taking

• Long-term care centres: Building or replacing more than 5,400 beds at 33 public and private long-term care homes and adding LTC beds in hospitals across the province.
• Hospital at Home: Expanding the program to 7 hospitals, offering daily in-person or virtual visits from doctors or nurses to help patients heal and recover in the comfort of their own home.
• Long-term Care at Home: Piloting the program to provide virtual support from a long-term care facility to check vitals and monitor for falls, activity levels, medication adherence in a person's own home. The goal is to expand to more communities in 18 months and support 2,700 people in the next 4 years.
• Home and community care: Expanding supports to help seniors age safely and comfortably in their homes and communities and help maximize their quality of life, dignity and independence.

Learn more

• B.C. Seniors Guide
• Helping older adults live active, independent lives

MRI and CT scanners are used for diagnosing and monitoring a variety of medical conditions, like brain injuries, cancer and abdominal issues.

We’re working to improve access to MRI and CT exams, so people can get the diagnosis and treatment they need sooner.

Actions we’re taking

• More machines:
  • Adding 19 new MRI scanners and 11 new CT scanners in communities across the province from 2017 to 2024-25.
  • Investing in new technology, like the state-of-the-art hybrid Gamma SPECT-CT camera in Nanaimo to perform faster, more accurate scans.
  • Expanding access to PET/CT scans to detect and monitor cancer by building a new cyclotron and radiopharmacy laboratory in Vancouver to make the radioactive isotopes used in medical imaging.
• More hours: Existing scanners now operate more hours per week, with many running 16 hours per day, 7 days per week.
• More scans: In 2023-24, B.C. performed over 322,000 MRI exams (up 83% since 2016) and 994,000 CT scans (up 43%).
• More staff: The number of MRI technologists increased 133% from 2019 to 2023-24, and new initiatives are in place to recruit, retain and train even more:
  • Training incentives such as a $2,000 bursary for students in MRI technology programs.
  • New direct-entry diploma program at BCIT to train 12 more MRI technologists each year.

Learn more

• B.C. delivers more MRI, CT scan than ever before (June 2024)
• 2023-24 Medical Imaging Annual Progress Report

B.C. had the second-shortest wait times in Canada for priority procedures such as surgery and diagnostic imaging in 2023, with 90% of patients waiting 159 days or less for their MRI.

Simon Fraser University (SFU) is opening a new medical school in Surrey to train more family doctors to work in B.C. communities. It's the first medical school to open in western Canada in 55 years.

School details

• Curriculum offers a three-year program focused on delivering primary care. It will embed Indigenous knowledge systems and perspectives.
• Classes for the first cohort of 48 students will begin in summer of 2026, with plans to grow to 120 seats by 2036.
• Dr. David J. Price, a family medicine expert, has been named the school’s founding dean.

Learn more

• SFU Medical School
• B.C. invests in family doctors through new medical school at SFU (July 2024)

The B.C. government is providing $33.7 million for building and $27 million for operations to help get the school up and running at SFU’s Surrey campus.

B.C. is continuing to lead the country in researching and developing life-changing treatments and technologies that have improved the quality of life for people here and around the world.

Actions we’re taking

• Securing B.C. as a global leader in life sciences and biomanufacturing, focusing on biopharmaceutical and medical manufacturing at commercial scale.
• Positioning B.C. as an attractive location for health research by improving timelines for research study approvals in health authorities.
• Working with First Nations and municipalities to make it easier to access land and buildings for biomanufacturing, encouraging companies to expand or set up operations in B.C.
• Improving coordination between researchers and industry to quickly turn new discoveries into profitable products and processes.
• Conducting more clinical trials to allow life sciences researchers to test new discoveries and provide B.C. residents with access to new life-saving treatments, increasing capacity for Phase 1 (first in human) clinical trials.
• Investing in more researchers and the necessary infrastructure to develop and clinically manufacture new medicines and treatments for serious diseases. 
• Advancing testing and patient care for cancer, heart disease, transplants and infections with 8 new genomic research projects to help develop personalized treatments based on a person’s genetic makeup.

Learn more

• B.C.’s Life Sciences and Biomanufacturing Strategy

B.C. boasts Canada’s fastest growing life sciences sector, with over 2,000 active companies employing 20,000 people in B.C. and generating $5.4 billion in annual revenue.

Vaccines save lives. They are the best way to protect us from serious diseases that can make us very sick, cause long-term problems, or even lead to death. Without vaccines, these preventable diseases can spread easily, lead to outbreaks, and strain our health care system. 

To keep people healthy, everyone in B.C. can get routine vaccines for free. 

B.C. immunization programs

• Vaccines for infants and school age children: B.C.’s childhood immunization schedule is carefully designed to protect children from 14 serious diseases – like measles, polio and pertussis (whooping cough) – early in life when they’re most vulnerable and before they're exposed. 
• Vaccines for adults and seniors: Staying up to date is crucial for adults because our immune system weakens as we age making us more susceptible to serious illness and complications.
• Respiratory illness season: Everyone 6 months of age and older can get updated influenza (flu) and COVID-19 vaccines each year.
• Cancer-preventing HPV vaccine: All youth ages 9 to 18 can get the HPV vaccine for free. When given at a young age, it is nearly 100% effective at preventing the human papillomavirus that can cause cervical and other cancers.
• Additional vaccines for travel or extra protection are available for purchase at travel clinics or pharmacies. 

How to access care

• Public health units, community health centres, and primary care clinics 
• Pharmacies 
• Family doctors and nurse practitioners 
• In First Nations communities: community health centres and nursing stations 
• In schools, for on-site vaccination clinics for school-age children

Learn more

• 7 important reasons to immunize 
• Vaccine safety 

After a vaccine was introduced in Canada, cases dropped 100% for polio, more than 99% for measles, rubella and diphtheria, 98% for mumps, and 87% for pertussis (whooping cough).

Regular screen tests and checkups can help you stay healthy. Screening tests help health care providers look for certain diseases or cancers before symptoms appear. Often, if a disease is diagnosed early, people will have more treatment options, be able to prevent or delay health problems, and have a better chance of recovery.

Preventative health screenings

• Health screening for all ages: Preventative screenings are available to everyone in B.C. depending on your age, sex or risk factors. This helps detect and treat diseases and health conditions early. Talk to your health care provider or call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1 for options in your community.

BC Cancer screening programs

• Breast screening: Most women and gender-diverse people 40 and older can get mammograms every 1 to 3 years, depending on risk factors.
• Cervix screening: Women and people with a cervix age 25 to 69 can order the new self-screening kit every 5 years if HPV, the virus that can lead to cervical cancer, is not detected. They are more accurate than PAP tests and can be done at home.
• Colon screening: Everyone aged 50 to 74 who do not have symptoms or higher risk factors can get fecal tests every 2 years and/or colonoscopies every 5 years.
• Lung screening: Available to people at high risk of lung cancer who are not experiencing symptoms, such as people aged 55 to 74 or those who smoked commercial tobacco for 20 years or more.

How to access care

• Cancer screening programs are for eligible people who are not experiencing symptoms.
  • If you think you qualify, follow the ‘Get Screened’ instructions on the links above. You will need your health care number and the name of your primary care provider to book.
  • If you do not have a primary care provider (family doctor or nurse practitioner), BC Cancer provides a list of clinics accepting patients for cancer screening referrals.
• If you have symptoms, contact your primary care provider. If you do not have one, call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1 for options in your community.

Learn more

• Lifetime Prevention Schedule ​
• BC Cancer Screening programs
• Province strengthens cancer care and expands access (June 27, 2024)

B.C. is the first province to offer cervical self-screening tests, which combined with the cancer-preventing HPV vaccine could eliminate cervical cancer here in a decade.

We’re helping families access the support they need to give their kids a good start in life.

Childhood health programs

• Newborn screening programs: Every newborn in B.C. is given a simple blood test between 24 and 48 hours old in the hospital or at home by a midwife to check for 27 rare but treatable disorders. If caught early, treatment can prevent or delay serious health problems.
• Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome BC: New parents are provided information on increased infant crying, soothing techniques, coping skills and the dangers of shaking infants.
• Early childhood health and screening programs: Regional Health Authorities deliver programs to help families detect and address dental, hearing, vision and sleep concerns in early childhood (birth to 5 years). Call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1 to find a program near you.
• Healthy Kids Program: Children under 19 of families with a net income under $42,000 per year can get help with the costs of basic dental, glasses and hearing care. Call 1-866-0800 to apply.
• Child behaviour and development milestones: Growth and development milestones can help you know what to expect and help determine if your child is on track or needs extra help. If you think your child should be talking more, walking sooner or behaving differently, talk to your doctor or visit a public health unit for an assessment.
• Infant and Early Childhood Intervention Programs: If your child is showing signs or is at risk of developmental delay or disability, you can be referred to programs that provide support tailored to your needs.

Physical activity programs

• Appetite to Play: Provides helpful information and fun ideas for parents, caregivers and early childhood providers to encourage physical activity and healthy eating.
• Youth sports grant: Kids 18 and under can get up to $400/year to help pay for an eligible sports program. Apply through KidSport B.C. before the program starts.
• Sport Safety: Resources to help children, youth and adults participating in sport and recreational activities understand common injuries, risk factors and injury prevention.
• Concussion Awareness Training Tool: a series of online training modules and resources to help recognize, diagnose, treat and manage concussions.
• Healthy Schools: Helping students foster their physical, mental, social, and intellectual development through physical activity, healthy eating, mental health support, and tobacco-free spaces.

Drug and substance use prevention programs

• Anti-vaping initiatives: Get help talking to kids and teens about the dangers of vaping and connect to programs to help them quit.
• Restricting sale of buccal (oral) nicotine pouches: When used as intended, oral nicotine pouches can help people quit smoking. However, some youth are using them recreationally. To keep kids safe, these addictive products can now only be sold by a pharmacist and must be placed behind the counter.
• Youth drug prevention: Get the facts about the poisoned drug supply, how to have the talk with your kids, and where to go for help.

How to access care

• Talk to your primary care provider (family doctor or nurse practitioner)
• Call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1 for 24/7 health advice or help finding programs near you
• Find more resources for parenting and raising health children

Eating healthy helps people of all ages feel better and lowers the risk of disease. We are making big investments to strengthen B.C.’s food supply and help people access fresh food and make healthy choices.

Healthy eating programs

• Farmers’ Market Nutrition Coupon Program: Helps lower-income seniors, families and pregnant people access locally grown produce and food products.
• Food Skills for Families: Hands-on cooking program helps lower-income families learn to select and prepare healthy food.
• Generation Health Community: A free 10-week virtual or in-person community group program for families with children aged 8 to 12 to help make positive healthy living changes together.
• Generation Health Clinic: A family-centred healthy living program for children and teens aged 6 to 17 living with overweight or obesity and specific health concerns. Families meet with a team of doctors, dietitians and mental health professionals for a comprehensive assessment and build a personalized care plan.
• Live 5-2-1-0 App: The app helps families set goals for healthy eating, physical activity and screen time. Health care providers can help track behaviour changes in their patients.
• FRESH for KIDS: Delivers B.C. grown fruit, vegetables, dairy and hard-boiled eggs to participating schools. 
• Farm to School BC: Brings healthy, local food into schools through partnerships with local farmers and helps students learn about the food system. 
• Feeding Futures School Food Programs: Helps school districts set up or expand local school food programs to provide healthy meals and snacks so students can focus on learning, not hungry bellies. 
• Student and Family Affordability Fund: Helps families struggling with the cost-of-living access nutritional meals before, during and after school as well as other school-related costs. Contact your school principal to access this confidential, stigma-free program.

How to access care

• Free HealthLink Dietitian Services: Talk to a registered dietitian for free advice and support personalized to your food and nutrition needs and get help finding programs in your community.
  • Call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1; Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm
  • Email a dietitian

Learn more

• Need help now? Find a Food Bank near you
• Find more healthy eating resources

Healthy communities help people of all ages stay healthy by providing more places to play, connect with others, and get around by walking, cycling, or using public transportation.

Physical activity can prevent and manage several chronic health conditions including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, osteoporosis, and depression. Increasing physical activity also improves mental health and quality of life. 

We work with many groups and all levels of government to create communities where British Columbians can live active and healthy lives.

Healthy, active community programs

• BC Healthy Communities: Offers funding and support to local governments and Indigenous communities through programs like Plan H and Age-friendly Communities to help local communities create policies and services that encourage active living and help older adults to have active, independent and socially engaged lives. Contact your municipality to learn about supports available near you.
• Indigenous Healthy Living Activities: The Indigenous Sport Physical Activity and Recreation Council (ISPARC) designs and delivers healthy living programs related to physical activity, health eating, respecting tobacco and heathy communities such as Honour Your Health Challenge, Indigenous RunWalkWheel, and FitNation.
• Health Protection Services: Inspectors work with communities to prevent health hazards by educating operators and inspecting places like drinking water systems, food premises, and swimming pools. They also enforce tobacco and vaping regulations.

How to access care

• Free HealthLink Physical Activity services: Talk to a qualified exercise professional for free advice on physical activity, sleep and healthy living that’s personalized to you and get help finding services in your area.
  • Call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1; Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm
  • Email a qualified exercise professional

Learn more

• B.C. Physical Activity Strategy
• How to Start Being Active – HealthLink BC
• Being Active with Chronic Health Conditions – HealthLink BC

Nearly 40% of people living in B.C. are 50 years or older. We are helping older adults live longer, healthier lives by staying socially connected, being more active, eating healthy and making their homes safer.

Age Forward: B.C.’s 50+ Health Strategy is a proactive, prevention-focused strategy and action plan positioned to increase the number of years people live in good health.

Programs for older adults

• Healthy Aging: Learn how to plan for a healthy life and improve your experience of getting older.
• HealthyBC Self-Assessment Tool: Assess various aspects of your wellbeing to gain awareness of your current health status and access resources to support your health as you get older.
• Health Aging Programs: United Way: Connect to local programs that help seniors stay active, connected and engaged in their community.
• Better at Home: United Way: Seniors can get help with non-medical home supports such as transportation, light housework, grocery shopping and minor home repairs. Call 2-1-1 for information.
• Home and community care: People who need extra support to remain independent at home may be eligible for publicly subsidized care. Contact the home and community care office in your health authority or ask your health care provider for a referral.
• Fall Prevention: Falls are the main reason older adults lose their independence. Find out if you’re at risk of falling and take steps to avoid them.
• Safety at Home: Simple changes in a living space can have a huge impact on the safety of a home. Find out how to make your home safe.
• Protection from Elder Abuse and Neglect: Seniors may suffer from abuse and neglect from people they trust or are unable to take care of their own health and safety. Learn the signs and how to help.

How to access care

• Talk to your primary care provider (family doctor or nurse practitioner)
• Call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1 for 24/7 health advice or help finding health services
• Call United Way B.C. at 2-1-1 for help finding community services

Learn more

• Age Forward: B.C.’s 50+ Health Strategy and 3-year Action Plan