The adaption of the “survival of the fittest” strategy in ing for a family doctor, as seen in Kingston, represents the ways in which the Ontario government continues to break the public’s trust.
On Feb. 26 and 28, hundreds of Kingston residents lined up outside of CDK Family Medicine with the hopes of securing a family doctor. While CDK ed approximately 600 new patients, hundreds more spent hours waiting in the cold—with some even camping overnight—only to be turned away.
Many expressed their frustration with the registration process online, especially those with conditions preventing them from being able to wait in the physical line. Many seniors and people with disabilities voiced the inaccessible nature of this rostering process in the Kingston Community Housing Facebook page, with one community member writing, “I feel so defeated. I can’t stand that long at all with my pain, and I certainly don’t have anyone to stand for me.”
Many individuals were forced to miss work to secure a family doctor. One community member wrote that their son camped outside of CDK with the family’s IDs, only to lose his place in line after using the washroom.
In the days following, CDK put out a statement asking the community to remain patient and respectful, pointing out the clinic’s staff are inundated with as many as 4,000 unattached patients using their walk-in clinic. The statement reminded community CDK doesn’t receive government funding.
The feelings of defeat and hopelessness expressed by Kingstonians who were unable to secure a family doctor isn’t an isolated incident, but rather, a manifestation of a larger, systemic issue. In other words, CDK shouldn’t bear the blame—they’re merely a symptom of the larger problem. The family doctor shortage in Ontario has long been obvious. According to the Ontario Medical Association (OMA), Ontario currently has 2.8 physicians for every 1,000 people, and many of these physicians are expected to retire within the next five years.
Family doctors are critical in maintaining a healthy population. These physicians act as consistent medical providers, responsible for several items, including diagnosing common illnesses and injuries, facilitating check-ups and routine screening tests, referring patients to specialists, and ing those with chronic conditions.
The family doctor shortage has severe implications, at both the individual and community levels. Not only do illnesses and disease go undetected without regular doctors’ appointments, but individuals are forced to turn to emergency departments to receive primary care. Already overwhelmed and understaffed, hospitals are bursting at the seams trying to ister both primary care and urgent medicine in the same settings.
While the province’s doctor shortage certainly isn’t new, it’s about time we recognized its enormity considering Canada’s aging population. The senior population in Ontario is expected to grow by 650,000 in the next five years, indicating a significant number of retirements in the near future which will put an additional stress on Ontario’s healthcare system.
At the same time, the number of people without family doctors continues to grow. As of January 2024, there are approximately 2.3 million people in Ontario without a family doctor. This number, according to the OMA, is expected to double in the next two years.
It’s not surprising many jumped at the possibility of ing with CDK, hoping to finally secure a family doctor, but one clinic can only take on so many patients, which led to hundreds waiting in the rain for hours only to remain uned.
While CDK said they’re rostering new patients through multiple channels, those who have been on the waitlist for years expressed their frustration at being byed and questioned the point of Health Care Connect (HCC), a centralized, provincial list, in the first place.
Many questioned why a first-come-first-serve line was necessary, when the majority of Ontarians waiting for a family doctor have been advised to on the provincial waitlist, managed by HCC. Online, one Kingston community member wrote that they have been ed on HCC for “seven years and counting,” stating they are “a senior who hopes for a miracle in family practice care in Ontario.”
In analyzing these issues as symptoms, the larger issue within the Ontario government becomes clear. There’s a growing need for family doctors which seems to attract the government’s attention. The appearance of government’s lack of action on the issue not only comprises health and healthcare, but there’s also been a significant displacement in public trust, pertaining to the bying of the HCC waitlist.
Many have called on the Ontario government to implement innovative solutions, such as increasing the residency spots in family medicine programs and lessening the istrative burden on family physicians. However, they fall short in addressing a key motivation for the Ontario government: profit.
Rather than fund public healthcare, the Ontario government has been actively pursuing the expansion of private clinics as a so-called solution to the overwhelmed public healthcare system.
Through a Freedom of Information Request, the Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) found the Ford Government has “funded private for-profit hospitals at double the rate per surgery than it funds public hospitals.” The Executive Director of the OHC wrote the Ontario government is “robbing the public to build the private,” demonstrating how the pursuit of privatized healthcare isn’t a solution to the current crisis in public healthcare.
Ultimately, we’re risking a scenario where the wealthy few can pay to access healthcare, leading to an erosion in the quality of care and working conditions in the public healthcare system.
Taking these symptoms into , I can recognize the primary issue and diagnose the Ontario government with poor health, aggravated by their neverending pursuit of profit and private gain. CDK isn’t to blame, nor are the overworked and underpaid staff in local hospitals and clinics.
Rather, the blame here rests squarely on the provincial government. Instead of actively working to address the provincial doctor shortage, the Ontario government has persistently broken the trust of many Ontarians and continues to prioritize profit over people.
Megan is an MA candidate in global development studies.
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