South Ottawa medical clinic inundated with new patient requests
Doctors' offices are always busy but at Southbank Medical Centre in Ottawa's south end this week, it has been off the charts.
"We've been receiving hundreds and hundreds of calls, emails, patients coming in and we're shocked," said office administrator Debbie Walsh. "In the last 18 years I've been here, we've never seen this."
People in search of a family doctor are desperately trying to get through.
"Last year, we had two new family doctors and it was never like this so I'm wondering…what's going on," said Walsh.
It all started after a sign advertising a new doctor was accepting patients went up and was shared online.
"There has always been a demand but I think post-COVID and during COVID that demand escalated and then doctors started retiring, doctors started getting sick, some doctors left… and that's when it just catapulted," said the clinic's associate medical director Dr. Anees Khan.
Khan says the centre will take on as many patients as possible, adding clinics like his need more help.
"We need support from the ministry (of health), we need support from the policymakers and if I may, I would say we need to get doctors in as quickly as possible, qualified doctors. There are so many foreign-trained graduates who are begging for licences."
Hundreds of new patient application forms have been filled out over the last few days. Staff say they're hoping to be able to help everyone, though it will take time to get through them all.
"They're like, 'OK, so if they've already had 500 submitted, what are my chances?'" said Tammy Ridge, a registered practical nurse. "I said just give them back to me and you will get a call. I can't guarantee that it'll be tomorrow, I can't guarantee that it'll be in a week or so. It could be in a couple of months but we have such a big stack we've got to go through everybody."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.