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Doctor Shortage Persists

Study shows how beginning of pandemic took its toll

Ontario families and patients are still struggling to find a doctor.

New research shows family doctors in the province left their jobs when the pandemic started, double the rate of the years before COVID-19 hit.

A study led by Unity Health Toronto says about three per cent -- or 385 doctors -- across the province stopped practicing between March and September 2020.

Lead author Doctor Tara Kiran says those doctors accounted for an estimated 170-thousand patients losing access to primary care.

There was information released last week that showed as of March 2020, almost 1.8-million Canadians didn't have a family doctor and another 1.7-million people in Ontario have a doctor older than 65 years old.  The new research adds to that data from last week.

 

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