cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/8003630
More than 4.4 million Ontarians could be without a primary-care physician by 2026, according to a new analysis that predicts a substantial increase in orphaned patients as older doctors retire and younger ones turn away from traditional family practice.
New figures released Wednesday by the Ontario College of Family Physicians show an estimated 26 per cent of residents in Canada’s most populous province may not have a regular primary-care provider three years from now, up from an estimated 18 per cent at the end of this year.
“We know that we’ve been facing a crisis in family medicine, and I think what we’re seeing with this new data is that the crisis is worsening,” said Mekalai Kumanan, president of the OCFP and a family doctor in Cambridge. “It really is incredibly worrisome to see our forecast showing one in four people in Ontario may be without a family doctor by 2026.”
Idk anyone my age with a family doctor. I’m 30. Young people have to move too much to keep any steady doctor or anything. I know this sounds ridiculous but I grew up in southern Ontario poor as fuck and I’ve been to 16 different schools in my like and have lived in more than 30 different home. I know that sounds crazy but it’s true, my family was poor and we constantly moved. I’m 30 now and married with a son and live in north bay for over 1 year in the same house (only a few times this has happened for me staying in the same place over a year) and goodluck finding a family doctor here. My wife is pregnant and there is like one OB around.