Ministry of Health (British Columbia)

The Ministry of Health is a department of the Government of British Columbia which oversees the provincial healthcare system. It manages services including the Medical Services Plan, HealthLinkBC, and the PharmaCare program.^[1]

British Columbia Ministry of Health

Ministry overview
Jurisdiction	British Columbia
Headquarters	Victoria, British Columbia
Minister responsible	Josie Osborne, Minister of Health
Ministry executives	Tiffany Ma, Mark Armitage, Maureen O’Donnell, Diana Clarke, and Ally Butler, Associate Deputy Minister Bonnie Henry, Provincial Health Officer
Website	Official website

The majority of health services are delivered through partnerships with health authorities, physicians and other health professionals. The ministry works with five regional health authorities (Fraser Health, Interior Health, Island Health, Northern Health and Vancouver Coastal Health) and one province-wide health authority (the Provincial Health Services Authority), which is responsible for specialized health services.^[2] It also supports the role of the Provincial Health Officer, whose office is housed within the ministry.^[3]

Josie Osbourne is the Minister of Health, appointed on Nov. 18, 2024.^[4]

History

On February 21, 1946, the government announced plans to establish a separate department for health; until then, health policy had been the purview of the provincial secretary.^[5] The Department of Health and Welfare was formally established on October 1, 1946, with George Pearson as the inaugural minister.^[6]

During the first term of the Gordon Campbell government, a separate Ministry of Health Planning was created (led by Sindi Hawkins) but that ministry was later merged back into the main ministry.^[7] During the same period, there were also two ministers of state: one for seniors and another for mental health and addictions.^[8]

Under John Horgan, a separate Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions was established.^[9] The administration of Premier David Eby ended the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions and folded it back into the Ministry of Health on Nov. 18, 2024.

COVID-19

On April 30, 2020, the Ministry published guidance alongside the BC Centre for Disease Control on interpreting the results of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for detection of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.^[10]

On October 19, 2022, Minister Adrian Dix introduced legislation to replace the Health Professions Act, the provincial law governing British Columbia's regulatory colleges, with the Health Professions and Occupations Act.^[11] A primary function of the act is to amalgamate the colleges from 15 down to 6, under the authority of a new oversight body.^[12] In July 2023, Minister Dix appointed Allan Seckel to oversee the amalgamation process.^[13] Preparations for the amalgamation are required to be complete by June 28, 2024, the designated date on which the amalgamation will officially occur.^[14][13]

List of ministers

List of ministers

Minister	Term start	Term end	Political party	Premier
Minister of Health and Welfare
George Sharratt Pearson	October 1, 1946	December 29, 1947	█ Liberal	Hart
	December 29, 1947	May 3, 1950		Johnson
Alexander Douglas Turnbull	May 3, 1950	August 1, 1952	█ Liberal
Eric Martin	August 1, 1952	March 20, 1959	█ Social Credit	W. A. C. Bennett
Minister of Health Services and Hospital Insurance
Eric Martin	March 20, 1959	December 12, 1966	█ Social Credit	W. A. C. Bennett
Wesley Black	December 12, 1966	May 24, 1968	█ Social Credit
Ralph Loffmark	May 24, 1968	September 15, 1972	█ Social Credit
Dennis Cocke	September 15, 1972	November 7, 1973	█ New Democratic	Barrett
Minister of Health
Dennis Cocke	November 7, 1973	December 22, 1975	█ New Democratic	Barrett
Robert McClelland	December 22, 1975	November 24, 1979	█ Social Credit	B. Bennett
Rafe Mair	November 24, 1979	January 6, 1981	█ Social Credit
Jim Nielsen	January 6, 1981	February 11, 1986	█ Social Credit
Stephen Rogers	February 11, 1986	April 3, 1986	█ Social Credit
Jim Nielsen	April 3, 1986	August 6, 1986	█ Social Credit
	August 6, 1986	November 6, 1986		Vander Zalm
Peter Dueck	November 6, 1986	November 1, 1989	█ Social Credit
John Jansen	November 1, 1989	April 2, 1991	█ Social Credit
	April 2, 1991	May 7, 1991		Johnston
Bruce Strachan	May 7, 1991	November 5, 1991	█ Social Credit
Elizabeth Cull	November 5, 1991	September 15, 1993	█ New Democratic	Harcourt
Paul Ramsey	September 15, 1993	February 28, 1996	█ New Democratic
Andrew Petter	February 28, 1996	June 17, 1996	█ New Democratic	G. Clark
Joy MacPhail	June 17, 1996	February 18, 1998	█ New Democratic
Penny Priddy	February 18, 1998	August 25, 1999	█ New Democratic
	August 25, 1999	February 24, 2000		Miller
Mike Farnworth	February 29, 2000	November 1, 2000	█ New Democratic	Dosanjh
Corky Evans	November 1, 2000	June 5, 2001	█ New Democratic
Minister of Health Services
Colin Hansen	June 5, 2001	December 15, 2004	█ Liberal	Campbell
Shirley Bond	December 15, 2004	June 16, 2005	█ Liberal
Minister of Health
George Abbott	June 16, 2005	June 23, 2008	█ Liberal	Campbell
Minister of Health Services
George Abbott	June 23, 2008	June 10, 2009	█ Liberal	Campbell
Kevin Falcon	June 10, 2009	November 30, 2010	█ Liberal
Colin Hansen	November 30, 2010	March 14, 2011	█ Liberal
Minister of Health
Mike de Jong	March 14, 2011	September 5, 2012	█ Liberal	C. Clark
Margaret MacDiarmid	September 5, 2012	June 10, 2013	█ Liberal
Terry Lake	June 10, 2013	June 12, 2017	█ Liberal
Mary Polak	June 12, 2017	July 18, 2017	█ Liberal
Adrian Dix	July 18, 2017	November 18, 2022	█ New Democratic	Horgan
	November 18, 2022	Incumbent		Eby

See also

• E-Comm, 9-1-1 call and dispatch centre for Southwestern BC

References

1. "Ministry of Health - Province of British Columbia". www2.gov.bc.ca. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
2. "Health Authorities - Province of British Columbia". www2.gov.bc.ca. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
3. "Office of the Provincial Health Officer - Province of British Columbia". www2.gov.bc.ca. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
4. https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2024PREM0067-001590
5. "Gov't Welfare Program laid Before MLA's". Vancouver Sun. 1946-02-21. pp. A1.
6. "Charles Banks Becomes B.C.'s Lieut.-Governor". The Province. 1946-10-01. pp. A1. Immediately after taking office, His Honor officiated at the swearing-in of Provincial Secretary George Pearson as minister of health and welfare, a post created by the lesgislation passed at the 1946 session.
7. Meissner, Dirk (January 26, 2004). "Campbell shuffles cabinet". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on July 19, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
8. McInnes, Craig (2001-06-05). "27-member cabinet biggest in B.C. history". Vancouver Sun. pp. A1, A5.
9. Palmer, Vaughn (2017-07-18). "Darcy leads difficult job list in Horgan's tough cabinet". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
10. "Interpreting the results of Nucleic Acid Amplification testing (NAT; or PCR tests) for COVID-19 in the Respiratory Tract" (PDF). BC Centre for Disease Control. 2020-04-30. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-04-26. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
11. "Provincial government introduces new legislation to replace the Health Professions Act". British Columbia College of Nurses & Midwives. 2022-11-25. Archived from the original on 2023-10-05.
12. "Patients the focus of new health legislation | BC Gov News". Government of British Columbia. 2022-10-19. Archived from the original on 2023-10-05. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
13. "BC Health Regulatory College Amalgamation | Summer 2023 Update". College of Psychologists of British Columbia. 2023-09-27. Archived from the original on 2024-01-17. Retrieved 2024-02-22.
14. "Update on Amalgamation". College of Physical Therapists of British Columbia. 2023-09-21. Archived from the original on 2023-10-03. Retrieved 2023-10-05.

External links

• Official website