According to the Ontario Union of Family Physicians, family medicine is not viable in the region.
Family practice is not sustainable in Ontario, according to a group of family doctors, so they convened on Monday night to discuss other career options.
The Ontario Union of Family Physicians, which is made up of over 1,700 physicians, was founded by Dr. Ramsey Hijazi. Hijazi stated that the organization had originally scheduled a “coordinated day off” for doctors on Monday, but in order to prevent any disruptions to patient care, the organization opted to have a virtual conference instead. There were about 150 family physicians present at the career summit.
According to Hijazi, an Ottawa family doctor, the purpose of the gathering was to raise awareness of the predicament that family doctors are in. According to him, the Ontario health ministry’s meagre funding for family medicine makes it unsustainable, as does the roughly 19 hours a week that family doctors are expected to spend on administrative tasks.
“It really speaks to how dire the situation is and frankly how desperate family physicians are,” he stated.
Following the discussion, Hijazi stated that the doctors discussed the prospect of leaving family practice to pursue careers in hospital or cosmetic medicine.
“It gave a lot of physicians a sense that there are options out there and you don’t have to feel you have no control over your situation in the future,” he stated.
According to Hijazi, the purpose of the meeting was also to bring attention to the health ministry’s alleged lack of benevolence in its negotiations with the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) for the next physician services agreement. This agreement establishes the maximum amount of money that physicians can charge the government for providing care under the Ontario Health Insurance Program (OHIP).
