Ontario lags in access to family doctors, report shows
Wellington—Halton Hills – After calling for action to address the doctor shortage, Wellington—Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott is concerned by a recent report showing fewer family physicians per capita in Ontario than in almost every other province. Last year, Ontario was home to 84 family doctors per 100,000 residents, compared to 203 per 100,000 in the Yukon .
“ Ontario has traditionally been a leader in Canada ,” said Mr. Arnott. “For Ontario to be in 9 th place in such a critical measure of our health system is truly disturbing news.”
Conducted by the Canadian Institute of Health Information (CIHI), the study also showed that 60 specialists left the province last year. Contrary to the trend in other provinces, Ontario 's population growth has outpaced the number of new doctors entering the system.
“It's time Premier McGuinty listened to the experts,” said Mr. Arnott, who pointed to several steps that the Ontario Medical Association has proposed. Its suggestions include increasing the number of residency training positions and bringing to Ontario more students from other provinces.
According to results from the Primary Care Access Survey (PCAS), conducted by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, there are 750,000 Ontarians without a family doctor.
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