‘I’m on every waiting list’
Niagara woman frustrated over inability to find family doctor as region short about 90 MDs
A St. Catharines woman says it is a nightmare trying to find a new family physician after her doctor died in December, leaving her and her mother without access to suitable health care.
Dr. C. Dennis Whitty, 82, died unexpectedly in December leaving many of his patients without a family physician and access to timely health care.
Debbie Clark, 67, and her mother Madelaine Sheppard, 89, were patients of Dr. Whitty for almost 50 years and are now struggling to find adoctor to take over as their primary care physician.
“I’m just at wits end, I’ve called every number, and I’m on every waiting list,” said Clark.
Clark is concerned for her mother’s medical care, as she has spinal stenosis and heart issues, which impedes her ability to care for herself leaving her with minimal options. A general practitioner would be able to help with getting referrals for specialists to improve her quality of life.
“When my mother got ill, she started to deteriorate and ended up in the hospital for a month,” she said.
“When it was time to leave, she couldn’t get into a nursing home because there’s a waiting list, so she went home, when it came time to renew her prescriptions, no one would help her.”
It has become a complicated process — Clark said it is getting tougher to get her prescriptions filled as well, as she must now wait in a clinic waiting room to see a doctor that does not know her and her medical history.
“I can’t get prescriptions renewed and sitting in a clinic with a doctor that doesn’t know my history, filling my prescriptions, there’s just no end to it,” she said.
According to the Niagara Region website there are about 10 family physicians accepting patients in the region, with some requiring an application process to be accepted.
The region should have close to 100 more doctors than what is available, said Courtney Westerhof, Public Health Communications consultant with the Region.
“For Niagara’s population of 477,000, we should have 346 family doctors based on an average practice size of 1,380 patients,” she said.
“The region has a significant shortage of family doctors, along with other health-care providers, Niagara has sat at 255 family doctors for the past 10 years and is still short over 90 family doctors for the size of the population.”
Concerned, Westerhof points out about 33 per cent of people in the region rely on other forms of health care outside of family physicians to address their medical concerns.
“Only 67 per cent of the population is enrolled as primary care patients. The issues Niagara is facing are not unique,” she said.
“With the growth of communities across Ontario within the next 10 years, the recruitment efforts for healthcare professionals needs to take precedence, as family medicine programs in Ontario graduate approximately 400 family doctors each year.
She said this is far less than provincial numbers needed to meet growing demands in communities across the province.
Recruiting needs to be a focus in the region as there is a noticeable shortage of doctors in St. Catharines which is impacting people, especially seniors, needing access to timely health care, said St. Catharines MPP Jennie Stevens.
“We have a doctor shortage and it’s quite noticeable in St. Catharines and the solution has to be supporting municipalities in recruiting,” she said.
“We have an aging population, as St. Catharines has one of the highest senior populations in Ontario and the aging doctors can’t bear this burden alone. They’re overworked.”
Stevens stated through cities like St. Catharines, grants and other resources are provided to attract newer, younger doctors willing to provide health care for residents.
Clark’s mental health has suffered, leaving her feeling tired, frustrated, and stressed while looking for a family doctor.
“The mental is worse for us than it is for my mother,” said Clark.
“It’s a nightmare, it really is, it’s affecting my health, I can’t sleep… it’s the constant worry.
Clark stated it has affected her life so much it is pouring over into other aspects impacting the people around her.
“It’s affecting me, and I fight with my husband about it, and you can tell it’s just going down the line,” she said.
Westerhof said to help combat the lack of doctors the region has enhanced its recruitment strategy to include international medical graduates and Canadian citizens studying abroad.
“Jill Croteau, physician recruitment specialist, is attending multiple family medicine conferences in 2023 and works closely with the McMaster De Groote School of Medicine locally and supports the residents through collaborative efforts,” she said.
“With the recent announcement of the changes to pathway a licensure through the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, Niagara is poised to work with U.S. family doctors looking to relocate to the region.”