In Victoria, across Vancouver Island, and in many communities throughout BC, it can be incredibly difficult to access a doctor when a medical issue comes up.
Recently, someone posted a document online detailing how to access a medical professional when the need arises.
Here are some ways of getting the medical attention you need, when you need it in Victoria:
●Find a family doctor
The wait list for a family doctor is long, but it’s always worth it to be in the queue. To get a family doctor through Island Health, you have to submit your details to HealthLinkBC.
If you resubmit at any time, for any reason, you are pushed once again to the back of the queue.
●Emergency room
Never ideal, but an emergency is an emergency. If someone is in need of medical attention and they have exhausted all other options, going into the emergency room may be their only hope.
In some cities, hospitals will post their estimated wait times online so people can try to go to the hospital with the least amount of people, but Victoria is not one of those cities.
Just remember to be nice to your fellow patients and to the nursing staff.
●Non-emergency
When in doubt, if you have a medical question or if you are seeking advice, calling 8-1-1 is always an option.
When someone calls 8-1-1, they are connected with someone who will be able to connect them with a registered nurse, a registered dietitian, a qualified exercise professional or a pharmacist.
They can give advice on what you should do next, or ease your mind if something isn’t that serious.
●Urgent and primary care centres
To get into an urgent or primary medical centre on the same day as a medical issue arises is nothing short of a miracle in some communities.
Since the pandemic, many urgent and primary care centres (UPCCs), or “walk-in clinics,” have changed the way they work to being call-in clinics instead of walk-ins.
Most locations in Victoria open at 8 a.m. and if you don’t call within the first few minutes and manage to get through, you may have to wait until the next day.
The website Medimap is a great tool for finding the phone number to call, to see people’s reviews of their experiences and to potentially see if they are at capacity or not.
There are six UPCCs in the Victoria area:
Esquimalt UPCC – 890 Esquimalt Road – (250) 519-3880
Gorge UPCC – 63 Gorge Road E – (250) 519-3800
Downtown Victoria UPCC – 1107 Pandora Avenue – (250) 519-3870
James Bay UPCC – Unit B-547 Michigan Street – (250) 519-3770
North Quadra UPCC – 100–4420 Chatterton Way – (250) 519-3820
West Shore UPCC – #104-582 Goldstream Avenue – (250) 519-6919
●Pharmacy appointments
Depending on what you need help with, if you call 8-1-1, HealthLinkBC may advise you to just go see a pharmacist.
Recently the BC government gave additional power and responsibilities to pharmacists to ease the pressure being put on the health care system right now.
A pharmacist can now provide some prescriptions without an individual having to go get a prescription first.
BC pharmacists can prescribe medication for the following ailments:
Acne
Allergic rhinitis
Conjunctivitis (allergic, bacterial or viral)
Dermatitis (allergic, atopic, contact, diaper or seborrheic)
Dysmenorrhea
Dyspepsia
Fungal infections (onychomycosis, tinea corporis infection, tinea cruris infection or tinea Pedis infection)
Gastroesophageal reflux disease
Headache
Hemorrhoids
Herpes labialis
Impetigo
Musculoskeletal pain
Nicotine dependence
Oral ulcers (canker sores, aphthous ulcers)
Oropharyngeal candidiasis
Shingles
Threadworms and pinworms
Urinary tract infection (uncomplicated)
Urticaria, including insect bites
Vaginal candidiasis
Pharmacy appointments can be booked online here.
●Online doctor appointments
There are more and more doctors who are moving to online practices because they can improve their reach and be able to provide appointments to those even in the most remote parts of BC.
There are also lots of different services that are free and help connect online physicians with patients. From there, they can provide prescriptions or specialist referrals.
However, with more people in BC needing to turn to these services in the province, it is becoming slightly difficult to find an appointment online as well.
Some examples of online physician platforms are:
Telus Health
Rocket Doctor – you’ll have to put yourself on a waitlist but they usually get back to people fairly quickly
Dr. Refill – specifically for those seeking to refill a prescription
source & photo : Victoria Buzz
