Hundreds of individuals in search of a family doctor endured lengthy queues on Saturday morning at a health facility in the west end of Ottawa. The Active Care clinic in Kanata made an appeal for new patients and aimed to enroll 400 to 600 individuals, with many being assigned a physician assistant (PA), as disclosed by a medical secretary at the clinic.
Alison Boughey, who waited for almost four hours in line, shared her experience of being without a family doctor for five years after her previous physician relocated to Trenton, Ontario. Similar stories emerged among those waiting, reflecting the challenges of finding a family physician in the city.
The shortage of doctors in Ontario has been exacerbated since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 2.5 million Ontarians lacking access to a family physician, as per the Ontario Medical Association (OMA). Despite recent investments in primary care, the demand for healthcare services surpasses the available resources.
According to an OMA factsheet, Ontario has 2.8 physicians per 1,000 people, with 40% of them contemplating retirement. Rijwal Chirammal, whose family doctor is retiring, highlighted the urgency of finding a replacement during the doctor shortage.
The Active Care clinic, currently staffed with approximately eight physicians and three PAs, offers services to alleviate wait times and enhance patient access to medical care. PAs assist physicians in conducting physical examinations, writing referrals, and prescribing medications with certain limitations on narcotics.
Patients like Marlene Vieira, who relocated to Ottawa from a rural area, expressed the challenges of securing a family doctor and the significance of initiatives like the one at the Active Care clinic in addressing the prevailing doctor shortage in the region.