Our History

The Physician Health Program of BC (formerly known as the Physician Support Program of BC) has been in existence since the late 1970's. The program was originally created to provide compassionate assistance to BC physicians, including those in training and their families who were dealing with problems that might cause impairment in practice. Initially, the main focus was on problems related to the inappropriate use of drugs and alcohol. Trends have changed over the years and more recently, the majority of our cases represent difficulties in areas other than drugs and alcohol. These issues include; psychiatric/mental health issues, marital and relationship problems, substance use disorders, business and financial issues, physicians exhibiting dysfunctional behaviour and problems related to physical illness and the ageing process.