Northern Ontario's doctor shortage isn't improving, says Ontario Medical Association

The Ontario Medical Association (OMA) says northern Ontario's dire doctor shortage has not improved.

In 2021, the association told CBC News that the region was in need of 300 physicians acrossvarious disciplines to meet demand. Now, more than a year later, the association confirms that situation hasn't budged as of May 2022, which is the most recent period for which it has data.

The update comes after the Health Sciences North hospital in Sudbury, Ont., announced earlier in December that it had been successful in recruiting 28 new medical staff. According to a release, the new complement includes ninephysicians specializing in family medicine, 15 physicians specializing in general surgery,dentists and a licensed midwife.

Fourteen of Health Sciences North'snew recruits are graduates of the NOSM Univeristy, northern Ontario's independent medical school.

'An immediate solution'

Dr. Rose Zacharias, president of the OMA, saidthe association has been working with the province on a potential solutionit proposed in September: licensing internationally trained doctors who are already in Ontario.

"An immediate solution is to look at the internationally trained physicians that are already here in Ontario,implement the practice-ready assessment, which would take months and if indeed our regulator gets involved, and we're working with the ministry on this plan as well, we could have several hundred physicians in the system as early as the spring," Zacharias said.

While the proposed plan has not yet been approved and is still in early stages, Zacharias said it would be the quickest way to alleviate Ontario's system, as doctors continue to report burnout, narrow the scope of their practices and retire early.

NOSM also plays a role in addressing the doctor shortage by training doctors locally, Zacharias said.

A 'vehicle for answers'

"Any institution like ours, that's not looking at how human resource planning and addressing the crisis in health service delivery wouldn't be doing it's job," said Dr. Sarita Verma, NOSM'spresident and CEO.

"We are in a situation where we're past the crisis. We're in a significant breakdown of the health-care system," she said.

Verma said the medical school will be a "vehicle for answers" regarding the shortages,in the year ahead. She said helping students access medical school financially will be a priority in 2023, so that people who are motivated to become physicians can do so.