Doctor shortage crisis turning into a catastrophe in the north: OMA

Northern Ontario doctors are calling on the province to immediately address an acute doctor shortage in northern Ontario.

They, along with the Ontario Medical Association (OMA), said they have been lobbying the government for months and still no plan has been put in place.

The OMA said more than 350 physician vacancies exist in the province and more than 200 of them are family doctors.

"We have a crisis in health care and a crisis turning into a catastrophe in many northern communities," said OMA president Dr. Dominik Nowak.

The OMA launched its Stop the Crisis campaign in October, calling on the province for a health workforce strategy that ensures everyone has access to a family doctor and specialist care.

The OMA said the province needs to attract new doctors to every area while keeping physicians practising until their retirement.

More than 200 doctors attended Queen’s Park Day in October to hand-deliver six recommendations, but the OMA said the province has yet to act.

"The current plan is sort of like, let's throw a bit of money and open some spots in medical school and hope it all comes out in the wash," said Dr. Sarah Giles, a rural generalist in Kenora and assistant professor of family medicine at NOSM University.

The Ontario Medical Association continues to lobby the province for a strategy that ensures everyone has access to a family doctor and specialist care. (Lydia Chubak/CTV News Northern Ontario)

Some municipalities spend money on doctor recruitment, but the OMA said that creates a Hunger Games-like environment.

"Communities are competing for doctors against one another," Nowak said.

"What we really need is a plan that's thoughtful, that's thorough that builds capacity, not just for this week or next month or next year, but for years to come. And that has to come from the province."

Giles said that, while municipalities are working to promote northern Ontario as an economic engine, the north can't have mines, mills and farms without a robust health care system.

"Nobody wants to move to a place where they cannot access care," she said.

Dr. Jessica Kwapis, a general surgeon in Kapuskasing and chief of Staff at Sensenbrenner Hospital, said the crisis is leaving health and hospital care in jeopardy, especially for pregnant women north of Timmins.

"Women from Hearst and from other small communities across northern Ontario are advised to relocate at around 37 weeks to a larger community," said Kwapis.

OMA president Dr. Dominik Nowak said there is a crisis in health care and it's turning into a crisis turning into a catastrophe in many northern communities. (Photo from video)

“This is expensive. The average cost for a relocation for delivery is around $4,500 to $5,000 per person per visit. Women across northern Ontario are spending over $5 million per year to access delivery services. It's disruptive and it's totally inequitable."

With the Holiday season underway, the physicians caution people not to wait to seek treatment or get prescriptions filled.

"We know that Boxing Day can be an especially deadly day for people because maybe they should have gone into the ER when they had the crushing chest pain," said Giles.

"If you're going to be, you know, sledding, downhill skiing, doing activities outdoors that we all enjoy and love, it's really important that you wear the safety gear and take part in these activities in a sober manner."

Health ministry statement

CTV News requested an interview with the Ministry of Health. Hannah Jensen, director of communications for Minister Sylvia Jones, emailed the following statement:

"Since 2018, our government has added a record 15,000 new physicians to our workforce, including an over 10 per cent increase in family doctors and we continue to make record investments in our health-care system to provide more people with the right care, in the right place, now and for years to come.

"We have launched the largest medical school education system expansion in 15 years, adding over 100 new undergraduate and residency positions at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, while breaking barriers for internationally educated physicians through programs like Practice Ready Ontario to add 100 new family physicians in rural and northern communities and have made historic investments to expand interprofessional primary care teams, connecting 600,000 more people to primary care across the province.

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"Our government supports a number of initiatives to support physicians practicing in the north including Northern Ontario Resident Streamlined Training and Reimbursement Program, Northern and Rural Recruitment and Retention Initiative and the Northern Physician Retention Initiative.

"This year’s Canadian Resident Matching Service shows students want to become doctors in Ontario, and that doctors want to practice in Ontario with 100 per cent of Ontario’s residency positions filled."

For more information about the OMA’s Stop the Crisis Campaign, click here.