Updates

As of 2024, about 2.5 million Ontarians (15% of the population) lack a family physician. In January 2025, the Ontario government announced a $1.8 billion investment over four years to improve access to family doctors and primary care teams. This Primary Care Action Plan aims to connect every Ontarian to primary care by creating and expanding primary care teams for 2 million people, setting standards for primary care services, leveraging digital tools like Health811 (a 24-hour telehealth service), and introducing strategies to recruit and retain primary care workers, such as increasing medical school admissions and expanding the scope of practice for non-physicians. The investment is expected to increase primary healthcare providers, reduce wait times, ease pressure on emergency rooms, provide timely care closer to home, improve continuity of care, and enhance patient outcomes. However, critics argue that this funding is a band-aid solution and that root issues, such as the shortage of family physicians, geographic distribution of health professionals and clinic hours, must be addressed.