Number of Ontarians without family doctor reaches 2.5 million, college says
![Ontario doctors A doctor wears a stethoscope around his neck as he tends to patients in his office in Rushville, Ill., on October 30, 2012. The Ontario College of Family Physicians says there are now 2.5 million people in the province who don't have a family doctor. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Jeff Roberson](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2024/7/11/ontario-doctors-1-6960783-1720741052042.jpg)
There are now 2.5 million people in Ontario who don't have a family doctor, the Ontario College of Family Physicians said on Thursday.
That's an increase of more than 160,000 people since the last count was released six months ago, said Dr. Jobin Varughese, the incoming president of the college.
"It's really concerning," the Brampton, Ont., family physician said in an interview.
"It means that people are more likely to turn towards walk-in clinics, urgent care (and) emergency departments where they will see a new person every time and lead to fragmented care," he said, adding that those patients are more likely to miss preventive cancer screenings.
The figures come from the latest data collected in September 2023 by research firm Inspire Primary Health Care, the college said.
The data is updated every six months and counts people as not having a family doctor if they are "uncertainly attached" — meaning they aren't rostered with a specific doctor or community health centre that provides their care continuously. That includes people who get care from walk-in clinics and emergency departments, as well as people who don't use primary care at all.
Having a dedicated family doctor rather than relying on walk-in clinics is especially important when people have complex chronic issues, Varughese said.
He sees the family physician shortage first hand, he said, as his full practice gets many calls from patients hoping to join. He also has to turn down requests from his own patients seeking care for their loved ones.
“Some of my newer colleagues who recently started practice, they closed taking on new patients by six months because they're full," Varughese said.
"What we've (also) seen a ton of is family docs who are getting closer and closer to retirement and really worry that nobody's going to be able to take on their practice.”
The physician college's CEO, Deepy Sur, acknowledged that the provincial government has invested in primary care teams and committed to reducing "unnecessary paperwork" to help ease the workload of family doctors, but said that needs to be expedited.
“Ontario can implement changes with urgency so the impacts can be felt by family doctors and patients right away,” Sur said in a news release.
Family physicians report spending up to 19 hours a week doing paperwork rather than seeing patients, the college said.
Hannah Jensen, spokesperson for Ontario Minister of Health Sylvia Jones, said the province is "leading the country with nearly 90 per cent of Ontarians having a primary-care provider" and investing in multidisciplinary care teams and ways to "tackle administrative burnout."
"At every step of the way our government has consulted with the (Ontario College of Family Physicians) and they have endorsed our government’s action to connect more people to the primary care they need," Jensen said in an email.
The college also released the results of a separate study that found 670,000 people in Ontario need to travel more than 50 km to see their family doctor.
That research was conducted by Upstream Lab at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto.
“Our data shows that without a family doctor nearby, patients may need to rely on hospital emergency departments more frequently and do not get screened for cancer as often,” Dr. Archna Gupta, a family physician and researcher with Upstream Lab, said in the news release.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 11, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.1652915.1706929185!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Convicted B.C. double murderer given full parole
A man convicted in the notorious double murder of two women in Tsawwassen in 1990 when he was a teenager has been granted full parole.
B.C. preparing for 'worst-case scenario' if landslide-caused dam in Chilcotin River gives way
The risk to communities along the Fraser and Chilcotin rivers if a dam created by a massive landslide is breached is uncertain but has the potential to be 'significant,' according to officials.
Costco's 'Apocalypse Dinner Kit' has a shelf life of 25 years. What is it?
Canadians looking to stock up on food for an emergency can order ready-made tubs from Costco online.
1 dead, several injured in Alberta tent collapse
One person was killed and others were hurt when an event tent collapsed on hundreds of people north Edmonton on Wednesday.
B.C. man spots bobcat while on his way to Starbucks
A few days after moving into his North Vancouver neighborhood Paul Wiens was enjoying one of the perks – cutting through the scenic BCMC trail on his way to grab a coffee at Starbucks – when he had an unexpected but "magical" encounter.
Liberal MP says she regrets 'distress' caused to witnesses who left meeting in tears
Liberal MP Anita Vandenbeld fell short of an apology after instigating a fracas on Wednesday that led two witnesses testifying about violence against women to storm out of a parliamentary committee hearing.
Canadian-born captive and American journalist freed in prisoner swap with Russia
Canadian-born Paul Whelan and an honorary Canadian citizen were set free Thursday as the United States and Russia completed their largest prisoner swap in post-Soviet history.
Summer McIntosh wins gold in 200-metre butterfly, sets Olympic record
Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh won her second Olympic gold medal in Paris with a victory in the women's 200-metre butterfly.
Italian Air Force performs flyover in Toronto
The red, white and green of Italy’s Air Force graced the skies above Toronto for the first time in nearly 40 years during a flyover Thursday.