News

FEDELI CALLS FOR ACTION ON LOCAL DOCTOR SHORTAGE

QUEEN’S PARK – Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli today asked the Health Minister to move
swiftly to resolve the shortage of family doctors in the area.

The text of Fedeli’s statement is as follows:

Thank you, Speaker. I rise today to discuss a very serious situation in my riding of
Nipissing regarding the shortage of family physicians. In fact, the president of the
North Bay Regional Health Centre is on record saying it has reached a “crisis” level,
and that attracting family practitioners is a “huge concern”.

Speaker it’s estimated North Bay and area is short at least 10 doctors, meaning
12,000 patients are without a family doctor. That’s more than 20 per cent of the
city’s population. I’d ask the Health Minister to envision what it would be like if a
million patients in Toronto didn’t have a family doctor because that’s the ratio we’re
talking about here.

This crisis isn’t manufactured or anecdotal. The North Bay and District Health Unit
notes a 20% increase in the number of calls from people concerned about finding a
family doctor in 2014 as compared to 2013.

Given this, it’s disappointing to learn the province just recently barred new family
physicians from joining team-based models of care, such as the family health
teams in the community of their choice.

Speaker, the Mayor of North Bay among others has proposed having all of
northeastern Ontario – from Sudbury to Moosonee – declared an under-serviced
region of the province. It’s an idea I think needs consideration. I ask the Minister to
recognize the severity of the situation, and commit to immediate action.

Video of Fedeli’s statement can be found online here: http://youtu.be/5ovIEcYALsM

For more information, or to arrange an interview, contact:
Clint Thomas
Executive Assistant
(416) 325-3434 or (416) 710-1752