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A million more B.C. residents have a doctor, but 20 per cent of population needs one
Officials say 80% of residents now have a regular provider as the province expands training, recruitment and patient matching.
- On Wednesday, Premier David Eby announced that British Columbia has connected 1 million residents to a family doctor or nurse practitioner since 2018, declaring the expansion demonstrates government progress on primary care access.
- Since 2018, the B.C. government launched actions to make primary care easier and faster to access closer to home, driven by the fact that about 20 per cent of the population still lacks a doctor.
- Data shows approximately 80% of B.C.'s population now has primary care coverage, representing 4.47 million people; over the past three years, more than 700,000 were newly connected while family doctors increased by 33% and nurse practitioners tripled.
- Health Minister Ravi Kahlon called the milestone "significant" and emphasized ensuring people receive care "when they need it and closer to home," while parliamentary secretary Stephanie Higginson noted continuity of care "makes such a difference" in health outcomes.
- The Health Connect Registry, launched in 2023 to match patients with providers, has 323,000 registered people as of September 2026; B.C.'s medical school at Simon Fraser University in Surrey enrolled 48 students this year, growing to 120 annually.
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One million people connected to primary care in B.C. since 2018
ONE million people in British Columbia are now connected to a family doctor or nurse practitioner since 2018. That is the year government launched actions to make it easier and faster for people to access primary care closer to home. “Having a family doctor or nurse practitioner is one of the most important foundations of […]
·Surrey, Canada
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Winnipeg Free Press+8 Reposted by 8 other sources
A million more B.C. residents have a doctor, but 20 per cent of population needs one
SURREY - The B.C. government says a million more people have been connected to a family doctor or nurse practitioner since 2018 when the government began a plan to get more people primary care.
·Winnipeg, Canada
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources11
Leaning Left1Leaning Right0Center8Last UpdatedBias Distribution89% Center
Bias Distribution
- 89% of the sources are Center
89% Center
11%
C 89%
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