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. Following the 2024 provincial election, Premier David Eby’s administration ended the stand-alone ministry and folded it back into the Ministry of Health. The 2025/26 Estimates show the "Mental Health and Addictions (Disestablished)" vote with funds transferred to Health in November 2024.
COVID-19 and public health On April 30, 2020, the Ministry published guidance alongside the
BC Centre for Disease Control on interpreting PCR test results for
COVID-19. On Sept. 12, 2024 the Provincial Health Officer rescinded the COVID-19 public-health emergency orders. On March 28, 2025 the PHO declared the end of the 2024–25 respiratory illness season and lifted temporary measures in health-care settings.
Professional regulation modernization On October 19, 2022, Minister Adrian Dix introduced the
Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA), which received Royal Assent on Nov. 24, 2022. Specific sections came into force on Oct. 18, 2023 to establish the Health Professions and Occupations Regulatory Oversight Office, headed by a Superintendent appointed in June 2024. As part of ongoing amalgamations under the modernization initiative, several health regulatory colleges were amalgamated effective June 28, 2024. The HPOA is scheduled to come into force on April 1, 2026, replacing the
Health Professions Act.
List of ministers == See also ==