122 minutes: Average wait time for Kelowna walk-in clinic – Okanagan | 24CA News

The wait to see a walk-in clinic physician could be painful and irritating.

“Two-and-a-half hours,” mentioned Kelowna resident Ruby Fung. “I came in at 9:30 a.m., and 12 (p.m.) I came out.”

While lengthy, in response to a brand new report, that wait time isn’t uncommon, nor was it removed from the common wait time in Kelowna.

“Wait times didn’t just go up; they went up pretty significantly, especially in B.C.,” mentioned Teddy Wickland, vice-president of operations at Medimap.

The wait instances at Canadian walk-in clinics have soared, says Medimap, a tech firm which tracks how lengthy wait instances are at varied clinics.

“The 2022 data was just released this past week,” Wickland mentioned. “The average wait time in Canada was up to 37 minutes on average, regardless of where you were located last year. Before, it was 25, so we saw about a 12-minute increase.”

According to Medimap, the common wait time at walk-in clinics all through British Columbia in 2022 was 79 minutes. That’s 21 minutes longer than in 2021, and 36 minutes longer than in 2020.

The Okanagan and surrounding areas additionally noticed the pattern of accelerating wait instances.

In Kelowna, the common wait time in 2022 was 122 minutes, a rise of 31 minutes from 2021.

Vernon was at 106 minutes, marking a rise of half-hour. And the wait in Salmon Arm final 12 months was 65 minutes, a leap from 53 minutes in 2021.

Penticton statistics weren’t obtainable as a result of not sufficient clinics use Medimap for correct information.

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A scarcity of household physicians is being blamed for the rising stress on walk-in clinics, as extra docs retire or change specialties with higher hours and higher pay.

“It’s a specialty in healthcare that is vastly underpaid compared to their peers.  They work much longer hours than most, and so it’s not a specialty that’s very attractive for new graduates,” Wickland mentioned.

But it’s hoped a brand new pay mannequin the provincial authorities launched final week will assist recruit and retain household physicians.

The new pay construction will enhance annual salaries from roughly $250,000 to $385,000.

Doctors won’t solely get compensated for the variety of sufferers they see, but additionally for the complexity of their care. They may even be paid extra for reviewing lab outcomes, consulting with different medical professionals, and administrative work.

Wickland mentioned different measures B.C. is already pursuing also needs to assist ease the stress on walk-in clinics.

“Expanding the scope of pharmacists that was announced in October to treat 13 minor ailments. That’s one step in the right direction,” he mentioned.

“I would also look to licensing other types of health care providers, like nurse-practitioner-led primary care clinics — again, with the goal of just getting more supply into the system to help patients. And then, you know, the adoption of telemedicine.”

Global News reached out to B.C.’s well being ministry for touch upon the more and more lengthy wait instances.

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