# 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.
Josie Osbourne is the Minister of Health, appointed on Nov. 18, 2024.

## 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. 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

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.

### List of ministers

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 |
| George Sharratt Pearson | December 29, 1947 | May 3, 1950 | █ Liberal | Johnson |
| Alexander Douglas Turnbull | May 3, 1950 | August 1, 1952 | █ Liberal | Johnson |
| 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 | W. A. C. Bennett |
| Ralph Loffmark | May 24, 1968 | September 15, 1972 | █ Social Credit | W. A. C. Bennett |
| 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 | B. Bennett |
| Jim Nielsen | January 6, 1981 | February 11, 1986 | █ Social Credit | B. Bennett |
| Stephen Rogers | February 11, 1986 | April 3, 1986 | █ Social Credit | B. Bennett |
| Jim Nielsen | April 3, 1986 | August 6, 1986 | █ Social Credit | B. Bennett |
| Jim Nielsen | August 6, 1986 | November 6, 1986 | █ Social Credit | Vander Zalm |
| Peter Dueck | November 6, 1986 | November 1, 1989 | █ Social Credit | Vander Zalm |
| John Jansen | November 1, 1989 | April 2, 1991 | █ Social Credit | Vander Zalm |
| John Jansen | April 2, 1991 | May 7, 1991 | █ Social Credit | Johnston |
| Bruce Strachan | May 7, 1991 | November 5, 1991 | █ Social Credit | Johnston |
| Elizabeth Cull | November 5, 1991 | September 15, 1993 | █ New Democratic | Harcourt |
| Paul Ramsey | September 15, 1993 | February 28, 1996 | █ New Democratic | Harcourt |
| Andrew Petter | February 28, 1996 | June 17, 1996 | █ New Democratic | G. Clark |
| Joy MacPhail | June 17, 1996 | February 18, 1998 | █ New Democratic | G. Clark |
| Penny Priddy | February 18, 1998 | August 25, 1999 | █ New Democratic | G. Clark |
| Penny Priddy | August 25, 1999 | February 24, 2000 | █ New Democratic | Miller |
| Mike Farnworth | February 29, 2000 | November 1, 2000 | █ New Democratic | Dosanjh |
| Corky Evans | November 1, 2000 | June 5, 2001 | █ New Democratic | Dosanjh |
| Minister of Health Services |||||
| Colin Hansen | June 5, 2001 | December 15, 2004 | █ Liberal | Campbell |
| Shirley Bond | December 15, 2004 | June 16, 2005 | █ Liberal | Campbell |
| 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 | Campbell |
| Colin Hansen | November 30, 2010 | March 14, 2011 | █ Liberal | Campbell |
| Minister of Health |||||
| Mike de Jong | March 14, 2011 | September 5, 2012 | █ Liberal | C. Clark |
| Margaret MacDiarmid | September 5, 2012 | June 10, 2013 | █ Liberal | C. Clark |
| Terry Lake | June 10, 2013 | June 12, 2017 | █ Liberal | C. Clark |
| Mary Polak | June 12, 2017 | July 18, 2017 | █ Liberal | C. Clark |
| Adrian Dix | July 18, 2017 | November 18, 2022 | █ New Democratic | Horgan |
| Adrian Dix | November 18, 2022 | Incumbent | █ New Democratic | Eby |