NDP calls for solutions to Chinatown family doc exodus

TORONTO - Ontario NDP MPP Jessica Bell (University—Rosedale) called on Ford’s Conservatives to fix the looming primary care provider shortage in Toronto’s greater Chinatown area.

After hearing from many Chinese Canadian residents desperately looking for a primary care provider, MPP Bell and Glover's offices reviewed the number of doctors in downtown Toronto who could provide service in Cantonese or Mandarin on the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario’s website.

The offices discovered that of the 24 doctors operating in downtown Toronto, 80% have been practicing for 43 years or more, meaning they were nearing retirement age.

“We know of five doctors serving the Chinese community who have just retired and two more looking to retire in the coming months, leaving thousands of residents without a doctor. These people are going to use the emergency room to get a prescription for antibiotics because there’s nowhere else for them to go,” said Bell.

The Ontario College of Family Physicians calculates that 2.2 million Ontarians are without primary care. That number is expected to escalate to 4.4 million in 2026.

On December 6, Ontario's acting Auditor General said one in five patients who visited the province's overwhelmed emergency departments were only there because they did not have a family doctor.

The Ontario NDP calls on the Ford government to ensure every Ontarian can access good primary care. Ontario needs to establish and expand non-profit and public primary care clinics, fast-track the credentialization of internationally trained family doctors and nurses, increase the number of family residence positions, and reduce the administrative burden on family doctors to make the job more attractive for them.