MPP Gates calls for action to address crisis in primary care

QUEENS PARK – MPP Wayne Gates (Niagara Falls) released the following statement to call for action on the crisis in primary care, as 2.5 million Ontarians remain without a family doctor:

“More than 2.5 million Ontarians do not currently have a family doctor, and in less than two years, that number will almost double. Almost 40 per cent of doctors currently practicing are considering retirement in the next few years. While we have made progress in Niagara, thanks to a hardworking team of recruitment specialists, we know that this crisis has only worsened since the Premier and this government have been in power.

“Doug Ford has been in power for over six years, and during that time, our hospital system has been underfunded by billions, we have a crisis in staffing thanks to Ford’s Bill 124, and we have had a record number of emergency room and urgent care closures across the province, including in Niagara in Fort Erie and Port Colborne.

“What we need to do is reduce the administrative burden on doctors, increase funding for primary care, allow primary care teams to work together easily, and make it easier for doctors who have trained internationally to practice in our communities.

Ontarians deserve better than what they have got from this government’s record of failure on the health care file.”