Ontario has a family doctor crisis. Here’s one reason why it’s hard to find one

A study published Tuesday found that while there are now more family doctors practising here, fewer are providing full-service family medicine.

“The answer to the current primary care crisis isn’t just training more family doctors,” said study senior author Dr. Tara Kiran.

Updated May 30, 2025 at 3:47 p.m.

May 28, 2025

By Megan Ogilvie The Star

As Ontario confronts a primary care crisis, an increasing number of family doctors are deciding not to practise comprehensive family medicine, instead choosing to work in emergency departments or take on other hospital roles, new research shows.

The study, published Tuesday, looked at 30 years of data and found that while there are now more family doctors practising in the province, fewer are providing full-service family medicine.