TORONTO, Jan. 29, 2025—Ontarians have waited too long for improvements to health care. Despite renewed commitments, the shortage of doctors in Ontario has shown no improvement in the past year.
According to HealthForceOntario, there are 2,600 vacant physician positions across the province, a number nearly identical to January 2024. With an election set for Feb. 27, Ontario’s Doctors renew their call for immediate action to Stop the Crisis in health care.
Ontario has 2.5 million people who don’t have access to a family doctor—a number projected to climb to 4.4 million by next year. Patients also face unacceptably long wait times for critical surgeries. The average wait for hip replacement surgery is 276 days, 303 days for knee replacements, and 282 days for cataract surgery. These delays leave Ontarians in pain, struggling to work, or unable to care for their families while they wait for the care they desperately need. Doctors know Ontarians already have enough to worry about, access to health care should be a guarantee.
The severity of the issue was especially evident in Walkerton just weeks ago—when hundreds of patients stood for hours in the snow in hopes of joining the roster of the new doctor in town. Ontarians deserve immediate solutions. Ontario’s doctors are encouraging the government to work with them to make the world class health care this country has to offer accessible to all Ontarians.
“What we saw in Walkerton is a heartbreaking example of how far Ontarians are being pushed to access basic care,” said OMA President Dr. Dominik Nowak. “Health care is something we pride ourselves on as Canadians, yet our system is struggling to deliver even the most fundamental services. We have stagnated too long. We need action to keep our system improving to ensure a healthy future for Ontario.”
The Ontario Medical Association’s Stop the Crisis recommendations outline actionable solutions that, if implemented immediately, would improve patient access, reduce wait times, and strengthen Ontario’s health-care system. These solutions include:
“These solutions are ready to be implemented and would provide direct, meaningful, and lasting improvements for physicians and their patients,” said Kimberly Moran, OMA CEO. “There is no time left to wait. Improvements to our health system must start now.”
Immediate changes that recognize the evolving needs of patients and their doctors are necessary. This election, Ontario's doctors consider health care among the essential issues for ensuring a sustainable future for this province and encourage all Ontarians to do the same.
Physician vacancies according to HealthForce Ontario
Windsor—28
London—56
Kitchener—52
Hamilton—57
Barrie—21
Peterborough—41
Kingston—27
Ottawa—196
Sudbury—30
Thunder Bay—45
Toronto—699
St. Catherines—42
Ontario Medical Association represents Ontario’s 43,000-plus physicians, medical students and retired physicians, advocating for and supporting doctors while strengthening the leadership role of doctors in caring for patients. Our vision is to be the trusted voice in transforming Ontario’s health-care system.
For more information, please contact:
OMA media relations
media@oma.org