In fear of getting de-rostered, some patients have resorted to visiting ERs for non-emergency care when their family doctors aren't available.

By Kevin Jiang Staff Reporter
If you are lucky enough to have a family doctor in Ontario, you might already know that you can be dropped from their patient list for visiting too many walk-in clinics.
It appears to be the result of a policy experts say is straining emergency departments and a health care system already pushed to its limits. In fear of getting de-rostered, many patients have resorted to visiting ERs for non-emergency care when their family doctors aren’t available, adding to Ontario’s hospital wait time crisis.
Now, some patients and physicians are speaking out against the “unfair policy.”
“It’s not good for patients, and it’s not good for doctors,” Dr. Dominik Nowak, a family doctor and president of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA), told the Star.
Here’s a look at how it works — and how you might be affected.
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