The Ministry of Health Services works collaboratively with the Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport to guide and enhance the Province’s health services to ensure British Columbians are supported in their efforts to maintain and improve their health. The Ministry works with health authorities, care providers, agencies and other groups to provide access to care. The Ministry provides leadership, direction and support to these service delivery partners and sets province-wide goals, standards and expectations for health service delivery by health authorities. The Ministry enacts this leadership role through the development of social policy, legislation and professional regulation, through funding decisions, negotiations and bargaining, and through its accountability framework for health authorities and oversight of health professional regulatory bodies.

The Ministry directly manages a number of provincial programs and services. These programs include: the Medical Services Plan, which covers most physician services; PharmaCare, which provides prescription drug insurance for British Columbians; the B.C. Vital Statistics Agency, which registers and reports on vital events such as a birth, death or marriage; and the Emergency and Health Services Commission, which provides ambulance services across the province and operates HealthLink BC, a confidential health information, advice and health navigation system available by telephone or on the web. HealthLink BC also publishes the BC HealthGuide which is available through local pharmacies and operates bcbedline, the provincial acute bed management system.

The Province’s six health authorities are the organizations primarily responsible for health service delivery. Five regional health authorities deliver a full continuum of health services to meet the needs of the population within their respective geographic regions. A sixth health authority, the Provincial Health Services Authority, is responsible for managing the quality, coordination and accessibility of selected province-wide health programs and services. These include the specialized programs and services provided through the following agencies: BC Cancer Agency, BC Centre for Disease Control, BC Children's Hospital and Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children, BC Women's Hospital and Health Centre, BC Provincial Renal Agency, BC Transplant Society, Cardiac Services BC, and BC Mental Health and Addiction Services including Riverview Hospital and the Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission.

The Medical Services Plan (MSP) insures medically required services that are provided by physicians, health care practitioners, laboratory services, and diagnostic procedures. The PharmaCare Program subsidizes eligible prescription drugs and designated medical supplies, with access based on families’ ability to pay. One of the most comprehensive drug programs in Canada, it provides reasonable access to drug therapy through seven drug plans. The largest is the income-based Fair PharmaCare plan.

For most PharmaCare plans, residents must be actively enrolled in the MSP. Once eligible for PharmaCare coverage, any portion of the prescription cost payable by PharmaCare is calculated automatically at the time of purchase. The resident pays only the costs not covered by PharmaCare.

In 2009/10, the Ministry of Health expended nearly $14 billion to meet the health needs of British Columbians.