March 7, 2024
Markham Stouffville Hospital family physician Allan Grill says Ontario is facing a “crisis” in family doctor shortages, as an Ontario medical association warns that a large and potentially growing proportion of residents aren’t attached to a family doctor at all.
“Ontarians should not stand for this,” Grill said in an interview Wednesday with CTV News Channel. “They should not feel that this is the standard we’re looking for.”
In a release Tuesday, the Ontario College of Family Physicians (OCFP) said more than two million people did not have a family doctor in the province, a number projected to rise to as high as 4.4 million by 2026, as many of those in the field plan to retire or scale back their services within the next five years.
“Family medicine is under enormous strain right now due to system-wide issues. However, we believe it’s possible to turn this crisis around,” OCFP president Dr. Mekalai Kumanan said in the release.