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.

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. It also supports the role of the Provincial Health Officer, whose office is housed within the ministry.

Adrian Dix has been Minister of Health since June 18, 2017.

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. The Department of Health and Welfare was formally established on October 1, 1946, with George Pearson as the inaugural minister.

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. During the same period, there were also two ministers of state: one for seniors and another for mental health and addictions.

Under John Horgan, a separate Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions was established.

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.

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. A primary function of the act is to amalgamate the colleges from 15 down to 6, under the authority of a new oversight body. In July 2023, Minister Dix appointed Allan Seckel to oversee the amalgamation process. Preparations for the amalgamation are required to be complete by June 28, 2024, the designated date on which the amalgamation will officially occur.