The Ontario Medical Association (OMA) on Friday produced a damning survey of its members. It further exposes that more than half of the province’s family medicine residency trainees are approaching retirement within five years. This trend poses a significant challenge to the Ontario government. Guided by the vision of former federal health minister Jane Philpott, they are hustling to create a new model of family medicine in the province.
The survey, completed last spring, collected responses from 470 medical students from all four Ontario medical schools. It determined that just over 40% of those surveyed indicated they were likely to choose family medicine as their vocation. Only a third to half of family medicine residency trainees expressed that they plan to practice what many refer to as traditional primary care. These numbers paint a scary picture. New physicians are often unwilling to pursue a specialty that is already in hot demand, with fewer family docs available.
As of March 2024, almost two million Ontarians no longer have a family physician. Sadly, this creates the perfect storm for why we need to address this problem now. The Ontario government has promised to invest $2.1 billion to develop and grow interdisciplinary primary care clinics. These clinics help relieve the pressure on providers. They achieve this by incorporating nurse practitioners, pharmacists, social workers, and dietitians into the care delivery model.
Premier Doug Ford has made the audacious pledge that every Ontarian who wants a primary care provider will get one. He hopes to accomplish this ambitious target by the year 2029. Accomplishing this dream won’t happen without major shifts to the prevailing medical environment. To that end, the government is launching the biggest expansion of medical schools in the province’s history. This ambitious plan anticipates several hundred new undergraduate and residency positions coming online, in addition to the establishment of two new medical schools.
A quote from Zainab Abdurrahman, president of the OMA, speaks to the systemic issues that have brought us to this crisis.
“We have to recognize that this has been a systemic issue that has led us here.” – Zainab Abdurrahman
Meanwhile, the Ontario government is on a massive expansion of medical education. They’re implementing a new compensation formula for family medicine, set to begin next April. This initiative is intended to enhance the economic sustainability of family practices. It hopes to bring more medical graduates into this essential field.
David Barber, a leading healthcare advocacy voice, took to his Twitter account to lament what these changes could mean.
“When you see the foundation of medical care crumbling, then we know the whole healthcare system is in trouble.” – David Barber
Barber further noted that these shocking statistics disproportionately impact younger and older members of the medical profession.
“These new numbers that we’re seeing, they’re especially disturbing because it’s really at both ends of the age spectrum.” – David Barber
The OMA survey is just one example of larger trends impacting the practice of medicine today. Gabrielle Trépanier, one of the medical students involved in the survey, illustrated the continued frustrations felt by many as they navigate the healthcare system.
“The reason I and many folks find this concerning,” – Gabrielle Trépanier
These sentiments reflect the need for fundamental change. We need to reclaim a future in which family medicine remains a promising and attractive career path for the next generation of physicians. All of these challenges come amid the growing threat of climate change. Yet, it’s still unclear whether the federal government’s actions will be enough to turn the tide on these alarming trends.
