Jan. 8, 2025 6:16 a.m. EST
As Ontario politicians scramble to come up with plans to address Ontario’s doctor shortage, the situation is likely to “get worse before it gets better,” the president of the Ontario Medical Association says.
The number of Ontarians without a family doctor in 2024 eclipsed 2.5 million, according to the Ontario College of Family Physicians. The list has grown by 400,000 since 2020 and most experts agree that the trend is likely to continue in the New Year.
In fact, the OMA has warned that by 2026 there could be 4.4 million Ontarians without a family doctor, partly due to the fact that about 40 per cent of family doctors in the province today are considering retirement in the next few years.
“I meet people almost every day who can’t find a family doctor,” OMA President Dr. Dominik Nowak told CP24.com this month.
“Nearly one in four people in this province are living through it right now and unless the province acts now and gets things going now, it’s going to get worse before it gets better.”
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