BC long COVID clinic faces cut to online group session size starting November 1

The BC Centre for Long COVID, ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia (BC-CLMF) is a clinic in Vancouver run by internal medicine doctors that treats patients with long COVID, myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), fibromyalgia and related chronic conditions. The clinic uses online group appointments to treat many patients at the same time, which lets it serve patients across BC who cannot easily travel to Vancouver. The Vancouver Sun reported the clinic has more than 8,500 patients.

Starting November 1, 2026, BC's Medical Services Plan will cap the number of patients allowed to participate in an online group appointment at the clinic at 30, down from 50, a 40 per cent decrease. The per-patient reimbursement fee paid to the clinic is also being reduced from $14.71 to $11.42 per patient. These changes were made by the outgoing NDP government, according to the Vancouver Sun.

The outgoing BC NDP government made these changes through the Ministry of Health and the Medical Services Plan. The ministry told the Vancouver Sun the changes were developed over a year and that in May 2026, the clinic confirmed in writing that its model could be financially viable with a cap of 30 patients per session. The clinic now says that agreement assumed the per-patient fee would remain the same, but the fee was also reduced. The new Conservative government has not been sworn in and has not announced a position.

A spokesperson for the Conservative Party told the Vancouver Sun: 'Once we're in office, we'll look at it carefully.' The new government has not been sworn in as of October 30. Ministry of Health communication staff are still in caretaker mode after the election and are not taking questions, according to the Vancouver Sun.

Lifeline BC, a BC patient advocacy group that advocates for people with long-term chronic illness, is calling on the incoming government to reverse the cuts. Lifeline BC has published information about the clinic's model and outcomes on its website at lifelinebc.ca. The group says the November 1 change limits care for patients who depend on the clinic.

The clinic treats patients with long COVID, myalgic encephalomyelitis (which causes extreme fatigue), PoTS (a heart rate condition), and fibromyalgia, among other chronic conditions. Long COVID is a chronic illness that can last months or years after a COVID-19 infection. The Vancouver Sun reported that the clinic estimates more than 300,000 British Columbians are living with long COVID, and 78,000 of them are youth.

The BC-CLMF uses a model where patients first receive a one-on-one assessment at intake. After that, they attend online group sessions for information, prescription renewals and more. For example, a group session might cover a specific medication, and patients can then decide whether to try it. A physician makes the individual prescribing decision for each patient. The group format lets the clinic serve many patients across BC using a small number of doctors.

BC residents with long COVID or other chronic conditions treated at the BC-CLMF can contact the clinic directly about how the November 1 change affects their appointments. The patient advocacy group Lifeline BC at lifelinebc.ca has information about the changes and is organizing patient responses. The incoming Conservative government can be contacted through the Conservative Party of BC's website once it is sworn in.