Are you a family practitioner or a specialist physician in a rural or remote community in BC and need a locum physician? We’re here to help.

For information on host physician eligibility, please click on the appropriate link below:

Clinic Eligibility for Vacant Positions

The clinic must be in a community that is an eligible Rural Practice Subsidiary Agreement (RSA) community.

RSA Communities List (PDF) 

Health Authorities: Responsibility for Vacant Positions

A health authority must be able to clearly identify:

  • the locum vacancy in the Ministry of Health/health authority endorsed Physician Supply Plan;
  • the HEABC advertisement of the vacant position;
  • the serious health care service access problems that the locum vacancy is causing for the community; and
  • the extra workload being placed on other physicians in the community over and above what would be considered a reasonable workload.


The health authority must submit an application for a locum vacancy signed by their Senior Medical Director to the Ministry of Health for approval in advance. Once the application has been approved, the health authority will be notified and can begin to advertise the vacancy days with LRBC.

If a health authority finds that the number of days of locum coverage committed is not sufficient, they may submit a second request. This request must include a summary of the recruitment efforts and contingency plans for the vacant position in the longer term. The second request will be reviewed by the Ministry of Health for decision.