B.C. specialist waitlists growing 10% yearly, quarter of province affected
A new survey found that 25% of British Columbians are on waitlists to see medical specialists, with the backlog worsening each year.
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Nearly one-quarter of British Columbians are on waitlists to see medical specialists, and that backlog is growing by 10 per cent each year, according to a new survey of the province's doctors.
Consultant Specialists of BC, Doctors of BC and BC Family Doctors surveyed more than 1,000 specialists and primary care physicians, finding that 80 per cent of specialists say the system is not meeting needs and is worsening. Ninety per cent report increased stress, burnout and moral distress.
Dr. Robert Carruthers, president of Consultant Specialists of BC, says the province doesn't track specialist wait times province-wide, leaving officials without a full picture of the crisis. The ministry also focuses on surgical wait times after a specialist consultation — not the wait to see a specialist in the first place.
"People might think that the province has a sense of how long people are waiting for what service where, but they do not have any idea," Carruthers said.
Nearly 5 per cent of specialists have closed their practices to new referrals. Another 36 per cent are partially closed or considering closing in the next year.
Specialists are proposing low-cost solutions: allowing them to provide written advice to family doctors for less urgent cases, giving them time in their week to manage waitlists and triage properly, and implementing better data collection.
The province acknowledged the problem in a statement from Health Minister Josie Osborne, saying the government is working to modernize referral pathways, reduce administrative burden and hire more doctors. But Carruthers notes that hiring 40 to 50 new specialists — as the province recently touted — isn't enough when thousands are needed.