Family doctor in North Bay, Ont., says family medicine is in crisis – CBC

Medical students not entering family medicine due to lower pay, too many admin tasks, says doctor

Apr 02, 2024

A family doctor in North Bay, Ont., says family medicine is in crisis and several changes are needed to ensure more medical students choose to become family physicians.

“Family medicine clinical practice is just not as attractive as we need it to be to have a sustainable health-care system,” said Dr. Taylor Lougheed.

According to the Ontario College of Family Physicians, 2.3 million Ontarians are without a family doctor. That number is expected to increase to 4.4 million by 2026.

Across the province, there are 108 unfilled medicine spots for residency placements, including 11 at NOSM University, in northern Ontario.

Lougheed said a few things make family medicine less attractive to students deciding which specialty to pursue.

Family physicians spend an increasing amount of time on administrative work, managing their practices, he said.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/family-medicine-crisis-ontario-1.7158850