Ontario Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie announced plans Monday to make sure every person in Ontario has a family doctor, promising that if elected, all residents in the province will have a GP by the end of her first term as premier.
Crombie’s plan, which was released Monday, involves creating two new medical schools and “expanding capacities” in existing post-secondary institutions in an effort to double the number of medical school spots and residency positions.
The Liberal leader also vowed to “stop penalizing patients and doctors if they seek care at walk-in clinics.”
“You can’t find a family doctor. Wait times have exploded. And hospitals are actually shutting their doors to people who need help,” Crombie said in a written statement.
“You deserve to have a trusted relationship with your doctor who is available and invested in the best interest of your health – no matter your age, health conditions, or where you live.”
Crombie, who released her plan amid speculation that an early provincial election could be called this spring, also vowed to “modernize family medicine” by making appointments available on evenings and weekends.
Premier Doug Ford has recently announced new measures to attract and retain family doctors in Ontario, including expanding a program that covers tuition for students who commit to becoming a family doctor in the province.
He also announced legislation that would reserve at least 95 per cent of medical school spots for Ontario residents to increase the likelihood that they will stay in the province after they graduate.
The premier recently appointed former federal Liberal health minister Jane Philpott to a new role to oversee the province’s efforts to connect every Ontario residents to a primary care provider in the next five years.
If you are an Ontario resident struggling to find a family doctor, we’d like to hear from you. Share your story by emailing us at torontonews@bellmedia.ca with your name, general location and phone number in case we want to follow up. Your comments may be used in a news story on CP24.com.
With files from The Canadian Press