iN NUMBERS: The BCers who see their doctor dozens, hundreds of times per year

These numbers might bother someone who can’t get a family doctor or general practitioner in B.C., and they definitely raise some questions about what’s going on with our health care system.

Researcher SecondStreet released data uncovered through a Freedom of Information response that showed some BCers went to their general practitioner more than a hundred times in 2024.

“In some cases, patients with unique health challenges may need more frequent appointments, but there may also be abuse by patients or health providers. . . It’s something B.C.’s government should examine more closely,” SecondStreet.org President Colin Craig said in a press release.

Here are the numbers:

209: That’s how many visits one British Columbian had to their general practitioner in 2024, the most for anyone in the province.
147: That’s how many visits one British Columbian had to their general practitioner in 2024, the tenth most for anyone in the province. This patient has got to step it up if they want to be number one.
14,497: British Columbians went to their doctor more than 50 times in 2024.
241: British Columbians went to their doctor more than 100 times in 2024.
700,000: People in B.C. don’t have a family doctor, according to Doctors of BC.
33: That’s how many primary care clinics are in the Interior Health region.
862,294: People are in the Interior Health region, which ends up being around one primary care clinic for every 26,000 people.
7,800: Family doctors work in B.C.
15,000: Physicians work in B.C., which ends up being around 271 physicians per 100,000 residents.