Fixing family medicine is the single most important priority of an Ontario Liberal government
TORONTO, ON—A Canadian Institute for Health Information report released today shows nearly 15% of emergency-room visits would have been better handled by family doctors, with over 24% of ER visits in rural or remote communities better suited to care in a primary-care setting.
Earlier this week, Bonnie Crombie announced her comprehensive plan to guarantee every person in Ontario has a family doctor close to home by the end of her first term as Premier.
Team Bonnie’s plan to deliver A Family Doctor For You would:
- Educate, attract and retain thousands of new domestic and internationally trained family doctors.
- Improve the Ontario Health Team network, using it to massively expand access to family doctors practicing in teams close to your home within four years.
- Modernize family medicine, put an end to fax machines once and for all, and make appointments available on evenings and weekends.
- Stop penalizing patients and doctors if they seek care at walk-in clinics.
“You can’t find a family doctor. Far too many people are getting care only in our already over-crowded emergency rooms. This is unacceptable. It’s bad for patient care, it’s more costly and it simply is not working. Doug Ford has deliberately destroyed our health care system, and you and your family are paying the price.”
— Bonnie Crombie, Leader of Ontario’s Liberals
“Millions of people in Ontario without a family doctor wait hours in emergency rooms, and are being treated in entrances, stairwells and hallways. People are afraid to get sick. I know this needs to change to ensure everyone gets the care they need and we treat our doctors and health care workers with the respect they deserve, so they can do the job we so desperately need them to do.”
— Dr. Rose Zacharis, OLP Candidate for Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte and Past President of the Ontario Medical Association