Ontario is facing a doctor shortage leaving many residents struggling to access the health care they require, especially as the COVID19 pandemic ravages the province’s healthcare system. With 15 per cent of Ontarians living without a primary care physician or regular doctor, residents are desperate for change and left wondering how this situation can be improved.

In this month’s episode of TVO’s The Thread with Nam Kiwanuka, we delve into the issue of Ontario's doctor shortage with the assistance of Polly, our AI advisor on what’s on the minds of Ontarians. We investigate the root causes of the doctor shortage across the province, search for solutions, and discuss the most pressing questions for Ontarians in search of a family doctor or primary healthcare provider in the province’s doctor desert.

Our team speak with an internationally trained physician, desperate to practice in the province; a clinic of nurse practitioners who are helping ease the health care crisis in Kitchener; a family medicine professor training the next generation of physicians; and head to an Ontario town with only one doctor to witness the impacts of the province’s shortage firsthand.

Why is it so difficult to find a primary care doctor in Ontario? What are the consequences of spending years on a waiting list? How can you find a family doctor instead of relying on local walkin clinics? Why are more medical students choosing specialized medicine over general practice? And who, or what, could help ease the doctor shortage?

Join us as we unpack Ontario’s doctor shortage and explore ways in which community organization and policy can be used to solve it. All this and more in this episode of TVO’s The Thread with Nam Kiwanuka.

0:00 Introduction to the healthcare Crisis
0:41 What is Polly? AI market research
1:05 Substandard care has become the norm
1:27 The emotional impact of Ontario’s doctor shortage
2:10 How did the Ontario's Doctor Shortage start?
2:50 Investment in primary care
3:19 Medical students avoiding family medicine
3:52 Access to healthcare in rural areas
4:44 Using walkin clinics as a replacement for a family doctor
5:49 Moving from a small town to get better health care
6:32 The struggle of family doctors to care for their patient
7:49 Attracting doctors to rural areas
10:18 Life before the doctor shortage
10:37 Getting older and aging without a primary care physician
11:36 Leaving your community for healthcare
11:54 Making changes to our healthcare system now
12:20 Allowing international trained doctors to practice in Canada
13:02 Why are doctors driving cabs?
13:29 Why did you become a doctor?
13:54 The experience of a foreign trained doctor in Canada
16:13 Internationally trained physicians as a solution to the doctor’s shortage
17:10 Medical support staff for holistic health care
18:58 What is a nurse practitioner clinic?
20:00 Patient satisfaction nurse practitioner clinics
20:41 Nurse practitioner clinics as a solution to the doctor’s shortage
21:47 The difference between nurse practitioners and a registered nurse
22:36 Doctors and nurse practitioners working together
23:00 Optimizing the nurse practitioner role in Ontario
24:24 The benefits of nurse practitioner clinics
24:57 Investing in healthcare to improve community health
26:02 Solution to the doctor shortage crisis

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About The Thread with Nam Kiwanuka:   
The Thread isn’t a show, it’s a conversation. Every month we use artificial intelligence to scour the internet and uncover the topics that matter most to Ontarians. We then hit the streets to determine how these issues impact daily life and the efforts being made to solve them. Through a combination of expert interviews and stories of lived experience, we're here to help you understand the headlines, challenges, and opportunities Canadians face in a quickly changing political and social landscape. 

About TVO Today:  
TVO Today is a trusted source of insight and information about life in Ontario and beyond. Our awardwinning current affairs journalism, documentaries and podcasts explore relevant issues and inspiring solutions. TVO Today’s website, mobile apps, broadcast programs and streaming services are all adfree.