Growing family doctor shortage in Kitchener
The Ontario Medical Association is warning of a shortage of family doctors.
New numbers show the situation is getting worse, with 2.3 million people without a family doctor in the province.
In Kitchener, there is currently 55 open physician positions posted on the provincial recruitment platform, HealthForceOntario.
The Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce helps recruit physicians, with a specific recruiter paid to attract physicians to the community. The chamber said while it helps bring in between 10 to 14 new doctors a year, the number of retiring physicians often outweighs that amount.
“[There are] somewhere between 60,000 and 70,000 people in Waterloo Region right now who don't have access to a family doctor,” said Ian McLean, president and CEO of the Greater KW Chamber of Commerce.
“One doctor retires, you'll probably need at least two, if not two and a half, to fill the gap. So with population growth, retirements, the need just keeps getting more and more.
McLean said another issue is often new family physicians are not taking on the same patient loads as those retiring.
“So a doctor that is 65 or 70 and fully retiring, they might have a patient load of 2,500, 2,600 patients, a new doctor is not taking half of that," McLean said.
The OMA expects the number of Ontarians without a family doctor to nearly double in two years. It is calling on the province expand access to team-based care and reduce the burden of unnecessary administration facing doctors.
McLean said additional spots need to be opened to graduate more physicians and the province should be looking elsewhere for doctors.
“We are in a global shortage and we need to be recruiting from all around the world and that's something that we are doing more and more of,” McLean said.
According to the Ministry of Health, over 10,400 new physicians have been hired in Ontario since 2018. The ministry is working to bring in international and interprovincial workers.
“That is why we are investing tens of millions of dollars to launch the largest expansion of new interdisciplinary primary care teams. Further details around other successful applicants will be shared very soon,” Hannah Jensen, spokesperson for the Minister of Health, said in an email.
The ministry said it is negotiating the physician services agreement with the Ontario Medical Association.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING
BREAKING Trump fined US$1,000 for gag order violation in hush money case as judge warns of possible jail time
The judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money trial has fined him US$1,000 for violating his gag order and sternly warned the former president that additional violation could result in jail time.
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
When grief and AI collide: These people are communicating with the dead
AI tools can offer recommendations, answer questions and 'talk' with users. But some users are using them to recreate the likeness of the dead.
Spike in 'violent rhetoric' since Oct. 7 attack from 'extremist actors,' CSIS warns
The Israel-Hamas war has led to a spike in 'violent rhetoric' from 'extremist actors' that could prompt some in Canada to turn to violence, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warns.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
WestJet, mechanics union agree to tentative deal to avoid strike
A potential strike between WestJet and its mechanics union appears to have been avoided.
Russia announces nuclear weapon drills after angry exchange with senior Western officials
Russia plans to hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine and Moscow warned that tensions with the West are deepening.
Summer forecast: What to expect as El Nino weakens
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
Shopping Trends
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.
