Doctor shortage will nearly double by 2026
New data shows ‘dire situation’ for Niagara residents who don’t have a family physician
Family physician Dr. Iram Ahmed warned last summer that the region’s family physician shortage would likely get worse, unless changes were implemented immediately.
It got worse.
After reporting in June almost 53,000 Niagara residents were without a family doctor, new data released Friday by the Ontario College of Family Physicians (OCFP) said that number has now grown to more than 73,000.
OCFP expects that number to grow to 141,122 by 2026, as the region’s population continues to grow and more physicians retire or close their medical practices.
“I looked at the numbers yesterday (Thursday), and I was saddened but not shocked,” said Ahmed, a family physician from Niagara-on-the-Lake.
She said several factors are driving the increasing shortage.
They include an increased administrative burden “that has been foisted upon us by the powers that be,” as well as compensation that is not keeping up with inflation, “so physicians are struggling to keep their doors open.”
“We see older doctors … choosing to take retirement, you see younger or mid-career physicians switching gears completely and leaving family medicine and then you have our new graduates who are … choosing other specialties,” she said. “Those factors with population growth are leaving us in the situation we’re in today.”
The situation may already be far worse than OCFP estimates.
A report presented at a recent Niagara Region public health and community services meeting by family physician recruiter Jill Croteau said there are currently only enough family doctors to treat about 330,000 of Niagara’s 477,000 residents.
That leaves about 147,000 people without a family physician.
Despite the discrepancy between the estimates, Ahmed said “both sets of data show a dire situation.”
While Ahmed said recruitment efforts at the municipal and provincial levels are welcome and needed, she said it won’t be enough without changes being implemented to retain family physicians.
“We need to double down on the things we can do to keep family physicians in their offices, to keep them from leaving the profession earlier than they plan to, and to recruit more graduates into family medicine.”
One change OCFP has been lobbying for is changes to the paperwork doctors are required to complete.
Ahmed said family doctors spend up to an average of 19 hours per week — “more than two full workdays” — on administrative work.
Compensation paid to family doctors which falls short of many other the wages specialists receive also needs to be increased.
“At the end of the day, family physician offices are small businesses. What you’re bringing in is revenue and from that we have to pay staff and we have to pay for the building that we’re in, supplies, etc., and compensation is not enough with inflation and hasn’t been for a very long time,” she said. “Now we’re in this crisis situation where family physicians cannot keep their doors open and are leaving.”
OCFP is also calling for more team support for family doctors, offering teams of allied health-care professionals working with family doctors to ensure patients can receive the care they need.
Ahmed said government investments in primary care, such as a recent announcement of $2.1-million to expand family health teams and community health centres is helpful.
But bringing in more nurse practitioners alone won’t be enough without more family doctors, she added.
“Family physicians have the highest level of education and clinical training of any health-care provider and provide clinical leadership in inter-professional care teams,” she said.
Although nurse practitioners are an important part of care teams, Ahmed said “things that seem simple aren’t always the case, and you’re never going to replace the expertise and clinical acumen of a family physician.”
OCFP president Dr. Mekalai Kumanan, in a news release, said it’s not too late “to turn this crisis around and let family doctors get back to what they most want, which is to be there for their patients.”
“By supporting family doctors now, we can ensure that Ontarians have access to the kind of quality care they expect for years to come,” Kumanan said.
She said there has been “some positive signals from government, such as recent funding for some teams and a commitment to address the admin burden.”
“But it’s time for Ontario to act urgently and provide family doctors with the support they need to continue caring for Ontarians,” she said.
Ahmed said there’s also growing frustration among family physicians as the situation continues to deteriorate.
“While the government makes some strides towards helping, by and large we feel like no one is listening,” she said.