Thousands in Hamilton underserved by lack of family doctors accepting new patients
CBC
Ja'miil Millar has been looking for a family doctor in Hamilton for four years.
The 26-year-old compares it to a job search, and has done everything from making cold calls and searching online to relying on word of mouth and recommendations from friends.
She's come close at times, but said she still hasn't managed to find a physician to take her on.
It's an experience she describes as "discouraging."
"You do all of the things you're supposed to in terms of actually finding someone and calling and then you're told that they're not accepting patients or you don't even get through," said Millar.
She's one of many without a family physician, at a time when health officials have recommended residents contact their primary healthcare provider because hospitals are overwhelmed by the Omicron variant.
There are at least 1,279 patients in Hamilton, Niagara, Haldimand and Brant, including those with high needs, registered with Health Care Connect, a program that refers people to physicians who are accepting new patients.
However, the program is voluntary and people need to sign up, meaning it likely doesn't capture everyone seeking care.
There were 323 permanent family doctors in Hamilton as of January last year, according to the city's physician recruitment and retention committee. While that may sound like a significant number, it's actually a shortage of 66.
That figure is calculated based on Hamilton's population and the provincial standard of 1,380 patients per doctor, according to Brad van den Heuvel, a member of the committee.
The exact number of those searching is difficult to calculate, as patient roster sizes often exceed the provincial standard, some patients have access to contracted physicians at walk-ins or through long-term care, and recruitment figures from 2021 efforts have not yet been released, says van den Heuvel.
However the shortage of dozens of doctors does indicate the community is currently greatly underserved.
The majority of family doctors in the city are part of two groups, the McMaster Family Health Team with 165 physicians and the Hamilton Family Health Team with 37, most of whom share practices with 35 to 40 resident physicians who are completing their training.
The Hamilton team covers 280,000 patients, roughly half of the city's population, according to spokesperson Sabrena Dorris.