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Provincial average wait times to see a doctor at a walk-in clinic in 2022, according to the Medimap Walk-in Clinic Wait Time Index. (Supplied)
Average: 71 minutes

Red Deerians waited the longest in Alberta last year to see a doctor at a walk-in clinic, says report

Feb 10, 2023 | 4:25 PM

Red Deerians had to wait on average 71 minutes to see a doctor at a walk-in clinic last year, the longest in the province, according to the latest data provided by Medimap.

In their Medimap Walk-in Clinic Wait Time Index, officials say the average wait time in Alberta was 34 minutes, 16 minutes longer than in 2021. The city with the shortest average wait time in the province in 2022, they say, was Calgary at 28 minutes while patients in Edmonton waited an average of 50 minutes to see a doctor.

Provincial average wait times from 2019-2022 to see a doctor at a walk-in clinic, according to the Medimap Walk-in Clinic Wait Time Index. (Supplied)

Although the province saw an increase in wait times, Medimap says it remains a few minutes below the national wait time average, which has increased to 37 minutes.

“The drastic increase in average wait -times at walk-in clinics provides further evidence that healthcare systems across the country are struggling to provide adequate care,” said Thomas Jankowski, Medimap CEO.

Provincial increase in average wait times to see a doctor at a walk-in clinic from 2021-2022, according to the Medimap Walk-in Clinic Wait Time Index. (Supplied)

In comparison, the company states Ontario had the shortest average wait times in 2022 with patients waiting 25 minutes to see a physician, while patients in Nova Scotia had the longest average wait times at 83 minutes. People in British Columbia had to wait on average 79 minutes to see a doctor at a walk-in clinic last year.

Medimap Walk-in Clinic Wait Time Index 2023. (Supplied)

Medimap is a Canadian tech company that helps patients book appointments online with walk-in clinics, pharmacists and associated health professionals with the goal of simplifying access to care. They say the Index uses data collected from approximately 70 percent of walk-in clinics across Canada that use the company’s software to publish wait times online, updated every roughly 30 minutes by clinic staff.