The provincial government is highlighting the initial success of its Primary Care Action Plan.
According to officials, over 275,000 individuals now have access to a family physician or nurse practitioner within the first year of this initiative.
Health Minister Sylvia Jones states that this places the province on track to meet or even surpass its goal of connecting 300,000 people to care this year, and ensuring every Ontarian has a primary care provider by 2029.
“Our government is protecting Ontario’s healthcare system and leading the country with investments that give Ontarians the highest rate of access to a regular healthcare provider in Canada,” says Jones.
“I’m incredibly proud of the progress we’ve made in the first year of our plan as we continue to take bold action to connect every Ontarian to care and help more people live fuller, more active lives.”
The plan, introduced last year, allocates $2.1 billion toward achieving its objectives.
This year, the province is providing $235 million to support over 130 new or expanded primary care teams and another $250 million for 75 additional teams next year.
Dr. Jane Philpott, who previously served as federal Health Minister and was brought in by the province to assist with this plan, notes that these primary care teams are already producing positive results.
“These teams are already making a difference. They are attaching tens of thousands of patients in the areas of highest need across the province,” says Philpott.
Jones adds that steps have also been taken to address staffing needs for these teams.
This includes broadening scopes of practice for regulated health professionals and facilitating employment for those from other regions within the province.
“Accelerating licensures for qualified out-of-province and US-licensed health professionals has already attracted over 1,700 new nurses and over 450 doctors to Ontario this year alone,” says Jones
Jones also mentions expanding medical schools and establishing new ones to bring more physicians into Ontario’s healthcare system.
The Health Minister emphasizes that while Ontario leads nationally in terms of healthcare access, there’s still room for improvement.
“Beginning with clearing the Healthcare Connect wait list. As of this week, that wait list has been reduced by more than 75%,” says Jones.
Healthcare Connect was created to assist residents in finding a doctor or nurse practitioner.
Randy Thoms is a veteran news broadcaster with over 40 years’ experience. He is based in Fort Frances and covers stories across northwestern Ontario. Contact Randy at thoms. randy@radioabl. ca.
View all posts
Source link
Source link
