B.C. healthcare waitlist deaths hit six-year high: SecondStreet
Nearly 1,600 patients died while waiting for care in British Columbia’s Interior Health region last fiscal year, marking the highest number of waitlist deaths in six years.
Nearly 1,600 patients died while waiting for care in British Columbia’s Interior Health region last fiscal year, marking the highest number of waitlist deaths in six years and renewing urgent calls for healthcare reform.
According to data obtained by SecondStreet.org, 1,364 patients died while awaiting diagnostic imaging, and another 222 died while waiting for elective surgeries in the 2024-25 fiscal year. Interior Health includes major B.C. communities of the province’s interior region, like Kelowna.