Ottawa is in need of 171 family doctors, which is putting pressure on Ontario's already strained healthcare system, according to the association representing the province's doctors.
The Ontario Medical Association (OMA) is urging the Ontario government to take immediate action, noting that 2.3 million Ontarians are already without a family doctor. The OMA warns the number of people without a doctor could double in the next two years.
"The implications of people not being able to access primary care are severe," OMA president Dr. Andrew Park said.
“The crisis we have seen unfold in Sault Ste. Marie, leaving thousands of people without a family doctor, will replicate itself across the province. We can’t just sit back and watch this situation get worse. We need to act now so people in Ontario can get care when they need it."
The Ontario Medical Association says Ontario needs more than 2,500 physicians. Toronto tops the list, as it’s missing 305 doctors. The report says Kingston is short 23 doctors.
Park notes that family doctors are the bedrock of the system, as they help patients stay healthy, prevent disease by identifying risk factors, manage chronic disease and get their patients access to diagnostics and many other health-care services.
“The result of the doctor shortage is people left with health-care concerns that need attention. Heart-breaking things can happen when patients don’t have primary care," said Dr. Park. "Our goal is to make sure everyone in Ontario has access to a family doctor. People are paying for health care through their taxes and they deserve a doctor. Let’s make sure that happens.”
Meanwhile, Ontario’s doctors say the number of family doctors who are considering to leave the province is increasing, noting that underfunding in the province’s health-care system and rising inflation pressures are making the profession unsustainable.
They say that family doctors have been spending 40 per cent of their week working on filling out forms and helping patients navigate through the system, an added task that has nothing to do with medicine.
In the next five years, 40 per cent of doctors are considering retiring, according to an OMA survey.
"We have heard from our members that the current situation for family physicians and our specialists is not sustainable," OMA CEO Kimberly Moran said. "The OMA wants to work with government to ensure there is a future for health care in Ontario.”
Here’s what OMA wants the government to do to address the issue:
- Fixing the crisis in primary care to ensure everyone has access to a family doctor
- Addressing the growing burden of unnecessary administration
- Increasing community capacity and tackling hospital overcrowding
渥太华急需 171 名医生,OMA 希望政府采取以下措施
一张未注明日期的资料照片中是一名医生。(Pexels/Jonathan Borba)
CTV 新闻渥太华数字多技能记者
据代表安大略省医生的协会称,渥太华需要 171 名家庭医生,这将给安大略省本已紧张的医疗保健系统带来更大压力。
安大略省医学协会 (OMA) 敦促安大略省政府立即采取行动,并指出安大略省已有
230 万居民没有家庭医生。OMA 警告称,
未来两年内没有医生的人数可能会翻一番。
OMA 主席安德鲁·帕克博士说:“
人们无法获得初级保健的后果是严重的。”
“我们看到苏圣玛丽发生的危机导致数千人没有家庭医生,这种危机将在整个省份重演。我们不能袖手旁观,看着情况恶化。我们需要立即采取行动,以便安大略省的人们在需要时能够得到护理。”
安大略省医学协会称安大略省需要超过 2,500 名医生。多伦多位居榜首,缺少 305 名医生。报告称
金斯顿缺少 23 名医生。
帕克指出,家庭医生是整个医疗系统的基石,他们帮助患者保持健康、通过识别风险因素来预防疾病、管理慢性病并让患者获得诊断和许多其他医疗保健服务。
“医生短缺的结果是人们留下了需要关注的医疗保健问题。
当患者得不到初级保健时,可能会发生令人心碎的事情,”帕克博士说。“我们的目标是确保安大略省的每个人都能得到家庭医生的治疗。
人们通过纳税来支付医疗费用,他们应该得到医生的治疗。让我们确保这一点。”
与此同时,安大略省的医生表示,
考虑离开该省的家庭医生数量正在增加,并指出该省医疗系统
资金不足和不断上升的通胀压力使该行业难以为继。
他们说,家庭医生每周要花 40% 的时间填写表格并帮助患者浏览系统,这是一项与医学无关的额外任务。
根据OMA的一项调查,
未来五年内,40%的医生考虑退休。
“我们从会员那里听说,
家庭医生和专科医生目前的状况是不可持续的,”安大略省医疗协会首席执行官金伯利·莫兰 (Kimberly Moran) 表示。“安大略省医疗协会希望与政府合作,确保安大略省的医疗保健有未来。”
OMA 希望政府采取以下措施来解决这一问题:
- 解决初级保健危机,确保每个人都能获得家庭医生的服务
- 解决日益增加的不必要行政负担
- 提高社区容量并解决医院拥挤问题