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Pitt Meadows is second when it comes to longest walk-in wait times in B.C.

Maple Ridge also one of 10 worst wait times in province
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The average wait time to see a doctor at a walk-in clinic in Pitt Meadows is 100 minutes. (THE NEWS-files)

If you need to see a doctor at a walk-in clinic in Pitt Meadows, be prepared.

Pitt Meadows has the second highest wait-times in the province according to a report released Wednesday by Medimap, a website founded in White Rock in 2015, that lets patients see how long wait times are for walk-in clinics around the province.

There are four walk in clinics in Pitt Meadows and the average wait time to see a doctor is 100 minutes.

When reached by phone, an outgoing message for the walk-in clinic at the Pitt River Medical Centre along Lougheed Highway in Pitt Meadows explained that due to shortage of doctors the clinic is only opened 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Friday, and only 9 a.m. to noon on Thursday and Saturday. The recording also advised not to leave a message as calls are not being returned promptly because of a staff shortage.

The Ford Road Walk-In Clinic’s website says the clinic is only open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

RELATED: Recruiters say 20 more doctors needed in Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows

The longest wait time was found in Sidney, B.C., where patients waited an average of 180 minutes to see a walk-in clinic doctor.

Maple Ridge, that has four walk-in clinics, rounded out the ten worst wait time averages in the province at 79 minutes.

The report found that British Columbians waited an average of 43 minutes to see a doctor between Nov. 1, 2018, and Oct. 31, 2019, a time that’s 41 per cent higher than the national average. By contrast, Albertans wait 25 minutes, Ontarians wait 26 minutes while in Nova Scotia, a patient might wait 55 minutes. The national average is 31 minutes.


 

cflanagan@mapleridgenews.com

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Colleen Flanagan

About the Author: Colleen Flanagan

I got my start with Black Press Media in 2003 as a photojournalist.
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