Dan Muldoon believes that a strong pitch is essential for attracting family doctors to London, Ont.
As the director of Thompson Medical Clinic (TMC) in London and a registered practical nurse, Muldoon has spearheaded an initiative that’s led to a significant increase in the number of doctors moving to London and the nearby St. Thomas.
“By September of this year, we’ll have had 21 doctors start with us since 2025,” said Muldoon.
This effort is creating space for primary care services for around 40,000 individuals.
The pace of growth has been remarkable in a region where the Ontario government reported earlier this year that approximately 80,000 people lacked access to primary care.
“It’s hard to describe. It feels like a weight off my team’s shoulders. Before, people were coming all the time, pleading for a doctor. Now, if someone asks, we can get them in within a month, if not less,” Muldoon said.
The shortage of family doctors has been an ongoing concern across the province and has garnered substantial attention from the government. In January, Ontario’s health minister unveiled plans aimed at connecting residents with primary care providers-resulting in 225,000 people being linked with doctors and healthcare teams during its first year.
Locally, the Middlesex-London Ontario Health Team has been actively recruiting physicians for the area while clinics like TMC have pursued their own strategies to contribute to these efforts.
Thompson Medical Centre’s primary location on Thompson Road in London. (Alessio Donnini/CBC News)
However, none have achieved quite as much success as TMC – something Muldoon attributes to changes in strategy and focusing on recruiting doctors from the United Kingdom.
According to Muldoon, this success started taking shape in 2023 when the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario simplified requirements for U. S. and U. K. doctors wishing to practice in Ontario.
“We hadn’t had any luck with medical schools in Canada, and U. S. doctors moving here would be taking a pay cut,” said Muldoon.
“But in the U. K., doctors have no autonomy; they don’t get to choose their schedules and their salaries are much lower. We offer an appealing medical system for them.”
Besides having more independence and better compensation, Muldoon noted that job security is also a key selling point for potential recruits considering London.
“One of the biggest fears for people coming across now is that there are many communities that are oversaturated,” Muldoon said.
For example, Goderich, Ont., celebrated having an impressive count of 28 physicians serving about 8,000 residents back in 2019 while an average doctor in Ontario typically manages around 2,000 patients on their roster.
Muldoon mentioned that nearly all newly recruited physicians hail from the U. K., though some come from other nations-a factor he believes enhances diversity within London’s multicultural community.
“[We have doctors from] Nigeria, Egypt, Sudan, India, Pakistan,” Muldoon said among others.
A Doctor’s Perspective
Dr. Omar Elsalakawy originally comes from Egypt but spent four years practicing medicine in the U. K. before being approached by Muldoon.
“It’s not very easy to take that step; it’s a complete change of life-especially when you have a family,” Elsalakawy stated.
“However, the need for doctors herein Canada was what motivated me to make this choice. London as acity is pretty goodfor afamily too so it made us feel brave.”Dr. Omar Elsalakawy expressed his satisfaction with livingandworkingin London.(Alessio Donnini/CBCNews)
Three months post-move, Elsalakawy sharedthat Londonhas exceededhis expectationsas alivingandworkingenvironment thus far.
He finds it fulfillingto joinacommunitywith unmet medical needsbut acknowledgesit took some timeadjustingcomingfromacountrywheredoctorsareplentiful.
“Itwasabitstrangeforthebeginning, butafterrealizingthe demandforphysicianshere I understoodthatpatientsreallyappreciate mypresencecomingfromthe U. K.”Elsalakawy shared.
“Youwantmeasadoctor, and Iamhappytooffermyservices.”
A New Challenge Ahead
With more physicians now onboardandongoing efforts searchformore, Muldoondescribesthenew challengeassomethinglikelyeasier tomanage.
“Mybiggest hurdle nowis gettingpatients.”Muldoonsaid.”Peoplestill harbor misconceptions, suchas,’I’mnevergoingtofindadoctorso I justdon’t look.'”
Sincetherearefew Ontariansusing Health Care Connect-theprovince’sofficialwaitlistforprimarycare-Muldooontoldthat TMCisactively workinghardtopromote thenewlyexpandedphysician team.<p"We receivearound100applicants dailyacrossallthree locations. Rightnow that'sagoodclimb,”Mul doonobserved.
“I think Londons goingtobeoneofthosecommunitiesthatachieves thestate’sgoal [toconnect everyonewithprimarycare] wellbefore2029.”
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