Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
If you've been searching for a family doctor, you know how hard it is to find one – many people in Ontario don't have access to one.
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
- Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
The Ontario Medical Association is concerned about the declining number of medical students choosing family medicine and says solutions are needed before the doctor shortage gets worse.
After being with the same family doctor for more than 30 years, Gail Ouellette's physician retired late last year and she has been searching for a new one since.
"I'm trying to be proactive with my health care and I just get the door slammed in my face," she said. "I've been told, sorry, there's nothing available."
Ouellette has placed herself on a wait-list, while continuing to call different clinics.
"And they go probably a couple of more years. So if I get sick, I have to either go to the ER or I have to go to a clinic and try and see a doctor there."
According to the Ontario Medical Association, 2.3 million people across the province do not have regular access to primary care and that number is expected to nearly double in just two years,
"Lack of access to a family doctor can negatively impact health outcomes," says OMA President Dr. Andrew Park.
He says that while Ontario needs family doctors, medical students are avoiding family medicine.
"What does this all mean for patients? It means that there will be fewer family doctors practicing family medicine, which means less access to care."
Costs for running doctors' offices are way up, but their payments are not.
"In the past 10 years, inflation has grown by 25.4 per cent, while average billings have grown by only 6.1 per cent," says Park.
That's on top of a growing administrative burden.
"If you imagine any job that you do, if you to do a simple task and that task to 15 steps instead of two, that's what it's like practicing family medicine these days," explains Park.
Doctors want the issues addressed.
"We want to urge the urgency. This is urgent. We need to do something now so that students will pick family medicine as the career of choice," says Dr. Azadeh Moaveni, director of undergraduate medical education in the department of family and community medicine at the University of Toronto.
So that patients – like Ouellette — can have a family doctor.
"Yeah, something's broken," says Ouellette.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Air turbulence: When can it become dangerous?
Flight turbulence like that encountered by a Singapore Airlines flight on Tuesday is extremely common, but there's one aspect of severe turbulence an aviation expert says can lead to serious injury.
B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton hospitalized after prison attack
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton was attacked and sustained life-threatening injuries in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a 'major assault.'
People in Gaza are 'wasting' from famine: World Food Programme director
World Food Programme executive director Cindy McCain says people living in Gaza are 'wasting' as famine concerns continue amid the war between Israel and Hamas.
WATCH Why today's inflation numbers are good if you have a mortgage
New inflation data is 'welcome news' for consumers and an economist says it could signal the possibility for a interest rate cut as several core measures also continue to ease.
Toronto Blue Jays fan struck by 110 m.p.h foul ball offered tickets, signed baseball by team
The Toronto Blue Jays have offered tickets and a signed baseball to a fan who says she was struck in the face by a 110 m.p.h (177 km/h) foul ball at Friday’s game.
OPP continues to investigate boat collision north of Kingston, Ont. that left 3 people dead
Ontario Provincial Police continue to investigate a long weekend fatal boat collision on Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont.
Matthew Perry's death is being investigated over ketamine level found in actor's blood, reports say
An investigation has been opened into the death of Matthew Perry and how the “Friends” actor received the anesthetic ketamine, which was ruled a contributing factor in his death.
'Miscommunication' Liberals say of Speaker Fergus event invite Conservatives call partisan
House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus is facing fresh Conservative-led calls to resign, this time over "very partisan" and 'inflammatory' language used – the Liberals say mistakenly – to promote an upcoming event.
'Mr. Trump doesn't worry us', says Canadian ambassador
As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continues the 'Team Canada' charm offensive to U.S. lawmakers and business leaders, Canada's ambassador to the United States downplayed the effect of another Trump presidency on Canada.