What to do when you don't have a family doctor in Prince George — how to join B.C.'s province-wide waiting list, the minor-ailments a pharmacist can prescribe, the free 8-1-1 nurse line, the Urgent and Primary Care Centre, and the ER — with tappable numbers.
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You're far from alone — the shortage is real across northern B.C. Here's how to get on the province's official waiting list, and where to turn for care while you wait.
The situation, plainly
British Columbia keeps one province-wide waiting list — the Health Connect Registry. Adding your name puts you in line to be attached to a family doctor or nurse practitioner taking new patients in your area. Have your Personal Health Number (from your B.C. Services Card) ready; it takes about five minutes.
Register online, or call 8-1-1 any time and a service navigator will do it with you.
Health Connect Registry
What this page can and cannot do
Source: HealthLink BC (Health Connect Registry, 8-1-1), Province of B.C. pharmacist prescribing, and Northern Health — the Urgent and Primary Care Centre’s hours and phone number re-checked against Northern Health and HealthLink BC, checked July 25, 2026 (4 weeks ago).
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Since 2023, B.C. pharmacists can assess and prescribe for 21 common conditions — things like a urinary-tract infection, pink eye, cold sores, shingles, mild acne or an allergy — and for contraception. It's free with your B.C. health card, no appointment, at most pharmacies. For everyday minor things this is often the fastest way to be seen while you wait for a doctor.
HealthLink BC (8-1-1) gives free, confidential advice any time. A registered nurse answers 24 hours a day; a pharmacist is available overnight (5 p.m. to 9 a.m.); dietitians and exercise professionals during the day. They can help you decide whether you need to be seen and where to go, in more than 130 languages. It is not a replacement for 9-1-1.
HealthLink BC
For something that needs care within a day but isn’t life-threatening — a sprain, an infection, a cut that may need stitches — Prince George’s Urgent and Primary Care Centre can see you without a family doctor. It is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends and holidays, closed Christmas Day. Walk in and a nurse registers and triages you; you are seen by how urgent your need is rather than the order you arrive, and you may be given an appointment for later that day or the next. A nurse is there for every open hour, but doctors and nurse practitioners come and go through the day, so phone ahead when you can.
Prince George Urgent and Primary Care Centre
For anything serious or life-threatening — chest pain, trouble breathing, severe bleeding, a stroke — call 9-1-1 or go straight to the emergency department. You do not need a family doctor to be seen. The ER treats the sickest patients first, so a non-urgent visit can mean a long wait; for those, the pharmacist, 8-1-1 or the Urgent and Primary Care Centre above will usually be faster.
University Hospital of Northern B.C. — Emergency
If you or someone you know is in mental-health crisis, you do not have to wait for a doctor. Call or text 9-8-8, Canada's Suicide Crisis Helpline, any time. For urgent mental-health or substance-use support in B.C., the Mental Health Support Line is open 24 hours.
9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline
B.C. Mental Health Support Line