Dr. Willett's Amazing Traveling Medicine Show

NEWS RELEASE

ONTARIO MEDICAL ASSOCIATION

************************* OMA president starts province-wide tour as election begins

Ontario doctors share health-care concerns with local leaders and MPP candidates

THUNDER BAY, ON, September 13 - Dr. Janice Willett, president of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA), is beginning the annual province-wide tour to meet with doctors and local leaders in cities across Ontario this fall to raise awareness about the important health-care issues the provincial government must address.

"We need the province to continue to take steps to strengthen our health-care system," said Dr. Willett. "Patients must have access to the doctors, tests and treatments they need and while some progress has been made, Ontario should be one of the best places to practice medicine and receive care."

Currently, Ontario is short over 2,000 doctors leaving one million adults and 130,000 children without access to a family doctor.

In addition to the current doctor shortage, 19 percent of practising physicians are over the age of 60 and 11 percent are over the age of 65, as a result, Ontario could stand to lose another 2,500 doctors to retirement.

Recent data shows Ontario is not keeping up with other provinces.

Based on a comparison of physician to population ratios, Ontario ranks seventh among 10 Canadian provinces.

Ontario has 176 doctors per 100,000 people, while Nova Scotia ranks first with 218 doctors per 100,000 people.

In 2005, Ontario recorded a net loss of 14 doctors to other provinces, whereas British Columbia and Alberta both gained doctors.

As a result of these trends, Dr. Willett is calling on the province to focus on recruitment and retention initiatives.

In order to prevent the shortage from getting worse and bridge the gap until our new medical graduates are ready to care for patients, Ontario needs a comprehensive strategy to better manage our current health human resources, including more integrative models of care through which other health professionals can work closely with doctors in order to help enhance access to health care.

During her meetings across Ontario, Dr. Willett will be discussing key issues such as: - Funding for health information technology for all family doctors and specialists

- Recruiting and retaining family doctors and specialists in Ontario

- Expanding access for patients by allowing more allied health professionals the benefit of working with doctors

- Future capacity planning to ensure there are adequate family hospital beds, health care professionals, operating rooms and diagnostic tools for all the patients that will require care. Stops on the tour will include: Thunder Bay, Sudbury, Brampton, Niagara, Toronto, London, Windsor and Ottawa.

"We need to build on the progress that has already been made," said Dr. Willett. "Let's continue to address the doctor shortage, measure and decrease all wait times, and provide more doctors with the technology they need to improve patient care."

*************************