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Ministry of Health (British Columbia)

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British Columbia Ministry of Health
Ministry overview
JurisdictionBritish Columbia
HeadquartersVictoria, British Columbia
Minister responsible
Ministry executives
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata

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]

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

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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

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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

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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

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

References

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  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. ^ a b "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.
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