'Serious concerns' about northern health care highlighted at virtual town hall

Long wait times and difficulties accessing a family doctor were among the topics of discussion at an Ontario Medical Association (OMA) virtual town hall on Tuesday night.

Craig DuHamel, executive vice-president of advocacy, communications, and marketing with the OMA, said northern Ontario is in a "crisis situation."

"We know that it's about two and a half million Ontarians right now who don't have access to a family doctor, and that number is going to grow to about 4.4 million by 2026, in just two short years," DuHamel, who took part in the virtual town hall, said during an interview on CBC Superior Morning on Wednesday.

"In Thunder Bay specifically, we know that about almost23 per centas of 2022 didn't have a family doctor," he said. "So it's almost one in four people in the community in Thunder Bay, and surrounding area, do not have access to basic primary care."

"That's a real issue, and this is a crisis and we're calling it out now," DuHamel said. "We want the government to act, and we need government support to ensure that people rightacross Ontario and indeed in the north, are getting the care they need, and when they need it."

DuHamel said the OMA will use what it learned at the town hall several more will be held over the coming weeks to help with advocacy.

"It's been instructive for us to listen to people across the province," he said. "We do have a road map that we will belaunching in the next few weeks that will detail exactly how we think that we can get everyone in Ontario a family doctor for starters."

"But we also, specific to Northern Ontario, have to ensure that we're getting the citizens therethe care that they need," DuHamel said. "We know that health outcomes in northern Ontario are worse than southern Ontario for many conditions, and that's just completely unacceptable."

"So where do we go from here? I think the first stop is that we have to ensure that everyone has a family doctor. They need to have primary care. That's the gateway to the entire healthcare system. And if you don't have that front door, you're going to be left going to an emergency department, orwalk-in clinic, or not getting care at all, which would be terrible."

Thunder Bay-Superior North NDP MPP Lise Vaugeois said she was very impressed with the turnout at the virtual town hall more than 2,000 people joined the meeting, she said.

"I hope it will engage people,and help people recognize that there are actually people in the system who've been thinking very long and hard about solutions, and that there are solutions available," Vaugeois said. "We know a big part of it is funding, and the priorities that governments have."

"In Ontario, we are the lowest-funded, the lowest per capita, of all of the provinces. So that already tells us something about government priorities. We also know that the percentage of money going into public healthcare is far less than the money that is currently going into for-profit healthcare."

Vaugeois said what she heard at the session will help her at Queen's Park.

"We've met with the OMA before at Queen's Park and heard them talk about their solutions," she said. "But when you hear it from the people in our riding, yes, that gives me ...more words and more examples that I can take to say, 'look, it is not OK. Things are not OK in healthcare and they're certainly not OK in the north.'"

In response, a spokesperson forHealth Minister Sylvia Jonesprovided a statement to CBCThunder Bay. It reads in part: "Since 2018, our government has invested $17.5 billion in connecting people to family doctors, and primary care, across the province."

"Our government is also expanding the Northern Ontario Resident Streamlined Training and Reimbursement (Nor-Star) program while breaking down barriers for internationally and interprovincially educated healthcare workers including the new Practice Ready Ontario Program that will add 50 new physicians this year.We are investing nearly $2 million dollars to connect over 8,000 more people in the Thunder Bay region to primary care."