In North Vancouver, B.C., Bally Singh, the operations manager at Carefiniti Health, has been actively recruiting nine new doctors, including general practitioners and specialists. Four recently hired doctors are now accepting new patients, a source of pride for Singh, who was inspired by her son’s leukemia diagnosis to ensure no patient is left without a family doctor.
Carefiniti Health, with four clinics in North Vancouver, is part of the success story in the region, where nearly six million Canadians still lack access to primary care. Data from the North Shore Division of Family Practice shows that doctors in the area have the capacity to take on 20,000 new patients, with a 90% attachment rate to family doctors among North Shore residents.
Despite the progress on the North Shore, challenges persist on a broader scale in British Columbia. As of September 2026, 323,000 people in the province are registered on the Health Connect Registry but have yet to be connected to a primary care provider. However, efforts at the local and provincial levels, such as the new payment model and streamlined processes for international physicians, have led to significant improvements in physician recruitment and patient access to care.
Over the past five years, Carefiniti Health has recruited over 150 new doctors, with 61 in the last two years alone. The recruitment efforts have attracted physicians from various countries, including the UK, Iran, the U.S., and Canada. Singh and her team have worked to create a supportive environment for doctors, reducing costs and promoting collaboration among physicians.
Looking ahead, discussions are ongoing about ensuring access to care for residents, even from neighboring communities, as potential physician retirements loom. The collaborative efforts of dedicated individuals and teams have been instrumental in driving positive changes in the healthcare landscape on the North Shore and beyond.