Ontario's healthcare system faces significant challenges, marked by increasing wait times, a shortage of healthcare providers, and pressures on emergency rooms. Despite efforts by the provincial government to improve the situation, concerns remain about the accessibility and quality of care. The Ontario Hospital Association's president, Anthony Dale, emphasized that the situation could have been worse without the addition of 3,500 hospital beds since 2018. As the Progressive Conservative (PC) government plans to add 3,000 more hospital beds through over 50 hospital projects, they aim to address these ongoing issues.
Statistics Canada survey data shared by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) revealed that 12% of Ontario adults lacked access to a regular healthcare provider as of 2023. This issue is exacerbated by a declining share of family doctors practicing comprehensive, office-based primary care. Furthermore, a growing proportion of patients are being cared for by physicians nearing retirement age, raising concerns about continuity of care.
In 2023, Ontario's performance in cataract surgeries was mixed. While 65% of surgeries met the wait time benchmark—falling short of the national average of 70%—the province outperformed the Canadian average with 76% of surgeries completed within six months. This figure is significantly better than the national average of 59%. However, median waiting times for cataract surgeries remained longer than pre-pandemic levels.
The number of Ontarians without a family doctor rose to an estimated 2.52 million in 2023, representing 16% of the population. In response, the PC government has committed $400 million to expand primary care and plans to open new medical schools. Additionally, Jane Philpott has been appointed to lead a primary care action team, aiming to address these shortages.
Despite these efforts, challenges persist. An average of nearly 2,000 patients per day were treated in unconventional spaces in Ontario hospitals in January 2024—the highest since tracking began in July 2017. Moreover, only one in ten hospitals met the provincial target waiting time of eight hours for emergency room (ER) patients requiring admission during the same period.
To tackle these issues, the PCs plan to offer more publicly funded surgeries, endoscopy procedures, and diagnostic scans in private, for-profit clinics. In the previous year, 32,000 people underwent OHIP-covered cataract surgeries at community surgical and diagnostic centers, with nearly half performed at new facilities.
The healthcare situation has sparked political debate among Ontario's major parties. Michael Herman commented on the government's initial promise:
"They came to power with the claim of ending hallway medicine."
He further added:
"Well, given our volumes right now, we’re looking to end broom closet medicine."
Michael Green noted the difficulty in assigning responsibility for healthcare challenges:
"It’s easy to blame today’s government for today’s problem."
Kamila Premji highlighted an unexpected trend among family doctors:
"We’re seeing that older family doctors seem to be hanging on longer than we would expect."
Criticism also came from Bonnie Crombie, who expressed concerns about government spending priorities:
"They gave more money to redevelop Ontario Place to a foreign company than they’re actually investing in health care."
The three major political parties have pledged to invest billions to ensure every Ontarian has access to a primary care provider. This commitment underscores the pressing need for systemic improvements.
