Ontario’s doctors have released an action plan to address health-care challenges in northern Ontario.
The Ontario Medical Association says ‘Prescription for Northern Ontario‘ is an ambitious plan containing 12 recommendations to address the unique health-care challenges in the north, including:
- The chronic shortage of doctors, especially in specialties such as family medicine, emergency medicine and anesthesia
- The profound and disproportionate impact of the opioid crisis and mental health issues, including insufficient numbers of mental health and addiction care providers, especially those who help children
- The lack of high-speed internet and unreliable connectivity, which limits the availability of high-quality virtual health care
- Unsafe drinking water and inadequate healthcare facilities and resources in Indigenous communities
OMA President Dr. Adam Kassam says the COVID pandemic has made gaps in the system more visible and the need for solutions more urgent.
“There is an acute need right now. There’s 100 generalist family doctors that are needed in this area, 130 specialists, 40 of whom are psychiatrists. So, this is an evergreen issue,” says Dr. Kassam.
“Just over 89% of people in the northeast and just under 84% in the northwest have a family doctor, or a nurse practitioner, or a regular health-care provider. Now, that is well below the national and the Ontario average.”
Dr. Kassam says their plan focuses on five key pillars:
1. Reduce wait times and the backlog of services
2. Expand mental health and addiction services in the community
3. Improve home care and other community care
4. Strengthen public health and pandemic preparedness
5. Give every patient a team of healthcare providers, and link them digitally
The OMA notes distance, weather, infrastructure, and reliable internet present barriers to health care in the north.
The Association is urging all political parties to adopt its recommendations as part of their election platforms.
The plan will be sent to all provincial leaders and the OMA is promising to follow up to ensure all 12 recommendations are met.
