A new survey shows Ontario emergency room wait times were so bad that almost 300,000 patients gave up and left untreated in the last year.
“This is an enormous number. Our hospitals are full to the brim,” says Ontario Liberal Health Critic, Dr. Adil Shamji.
New findings in a report by a public policy think tank titled, “Too many Canadians are Leaving Emergency Rooms Untreated“ shows that in Ontario, 292,695 patients left the ER without treatment last year. That represents almost 5 per cent of the 6 million ER visits in 2024.
“Every Ontario taxpayer is paying for access to a family doctor and access to health care when they need it,” said Shamji. “Especially in those moments where minutes matter, where lives are on the line. And the reality is that under this government, they are not getting that.”
However, a spokesperson for the Minister of Health says they are making record investments in the health care system. They say they’re leading the country with some of the shortest wait times for emergency care and critical surgeries, with the highest number of people connected to a regular primary care provider and the largest healthcare workforce.
However 2.5 million Ontarians remain without a family doctor, and critics say more physicians could help relieve the burden on hospitals.
“A positive step forward”
In a new four-year agreement with the government, Ontario doctors will see a 7.3 per cent bump over the next 3 years. That’s on top of a 10 per cent pay increase in the first year of the agreement.
“It is a significant increase and it is a positive step forward,” said Dr. Zainab Abdurrahman, President of the Ontario Medical Association.
Key, family doctors will also receive compensation for administrative work.
“I think that it’s going to make a difference in terms of people who are already in practice wanting to stay in practice,and also for the new grads,” said Abdurrahman.
The Ministry of Health also says the new agreement includes investments that will incentivize family doctors to take on new patients.
They also added that some of their policy changes, like granting pharmacists more powers, will alleviate the pressure on emergency departments across the province.
