CANADA, May 19 - Josie Osborne, Minister of Health, has issued the following statement in recognition of Family Doctor Day:
“Today is Family Doctor Day, which gives us an opportunity to acknowledge the incredible work of family doctors who deliver personalized, comprehensive and continuous care to patients and communities in B.C.
“Family doctors are the cornerstone of our health-care system, managing many of the health concerns people experience throughout their lives. They provide holistic care rooted in strong patient relationships and are experts in treating the whole person at every stage of life.
“We know that family doctors want to spend as much time as possible with their patients and we have heard that unnecessary paperwork robs them of valuable time to do that. To address this, we are eliminating sick notes for short-term absences to cut administrative burden, make our system more efficient and free up family doctors to focus on what they do best – providing care to people in British Columbia.
“Along with eliminating unnecessary sick notes, outdated fax and paper-based processes will be replaced by digital systems, making referrals more efficient, consolidating and standardizing forms, and enhancing information-sharing among providers.
“Our government is working hard to strengthen care by hiring and training more family doctors so people can get better and faster care, close to home. With the uncertainty and chaos happening south of our border, we have an opportunity to attract the skilled health-care workers our province needs to strengthen public health care. We are ramping up our recruitment efforts in the U.S. and streamlining regulatory processes.
“Since March 2025, when we announced that we are fast-tracking credential recognition for health professionals from other countries and provinces, 573 doctors from the United States have expressed interest to come work in B.C. Building on that, we are working with health authorities, regulatory colleges and other partners to co-ordinate a marketing campaign in the states of Washington, Oregon and California.
“I would like to extend my sincere thanks to family doctors for their steadfast dedication, compassion and expertise in caring for individuals and families in our communities. Your efforts to support health, prevent illness and build trusted, meaningful relationships have a profound impact on countless lives each day.”
Learn More:
For information about the restriction of short-term sick notes, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2025LBR0016-000336
For information about the recruitment plan to attract health-care professionals from the U.S., visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2025HLTH0013-000194
