May 20, 2008

A new report from the Ontario Health Quality Council (OHQC) indicates that the number of adult Ontarians who want a family doctor, but are unable to find one is 400,000. This revelation stands in sharp contrast to the 1.7 million unattached patients previously projected by the Ontario Medical Association.

OHQC’s new report, “2008 Report on Ontario’s Health System,” shows that 400,000 people (four per cent of Ontarians) are actively seeking a doctor.

The Ontario Health Quality Council conducted a thorough investigation into which Ontarians are actively looking for family health care – effectively eliminating those who seek alternative forms of care such as Traditional Chinese Medicine, Homeopathy or are not looking for a doctor.

“We now have a much clearer picture of how many people are actively looking for family health care,” said George Smitherman, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. “With this new information, we will be better able to target the 400,000 Ontarians who are still in need.”

• Over the next four years, Ontario will continue to do even more to give care to those who want it by adding 50 more Family Health Teams, 25 more nurse practitioner-led clinics and 100 more medical school positions.
• According to the Ontario Medical Association, more patients have access to care and Ontario’s family doctors have taken on almost 630,000 patients who didn’t have previous access to a doctor, up from 500,000 in May 2007

Learn more about Ontario’s comprehensive strategy to improve access to care for all Ontarians over the next four years.

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