Ontario’s doctor shortage remains critical, with 2,600 vacant physician positions provincewide—virtually unchanged from last year, according to HealthForceOntario.
The newly released report shows St. Catharines is not immune to the trend, with 42 current physician vacancies.
With 2.5 million Ontarians lacking access to a family doctor, and that number expected to climb to 4.4 million next year, the Ontario Medical Association is urging immediate action ahead of the February 27th election to address what it calls a health-care crisis.
“What we saw in Walkerton is a heartbreaking example of how far Ontarians are being pushed to access basic care,” said OMA President Dr. Dominik Nowak, referencing the hundreds of patients who lined up in the snow to secure a family doctor.
The OMA is touting its ‘Stop the Crisis’ plan, which outlines key recommendations, including ensuring every Ontarian has a family doctor, addressing emergency room closures, improving rural health care, and reducing specialist wait times.
OMA CEO Kimberly Moran says there is no time left to wait and improvements to our health system must start now.
(Written by: Jordan Mercier)
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