Local patients have been waiting an average of 309 days to find a new family doctor, according to figures released Dec. 1 by Perth-Wellington MPP Randy Pettapiece.
In a written question to the minister of health, Pettapiece asked for the number of individuals in Perth-Wellington registered with Health Care Connect – a service to match patients with family physicians – and how long they have been on the list.
The minister’s responses show that as of March 31, there were an estimated 927 individuals from Perth-Wellington registered with Health Care Connect. They had been waiting on the list for an average of 309 days.
“To the families affected, these numbers are extremely disappointing,” said Pettapiece. “People shouldn’t have to wait 309 days and still have no idea when they might actually find a doctor.”
Pettapiece hand-delivered expressed with the government’s response to the situation in his sixth open letter to the government on behalf of his constituents without a doctor.
Pettapiece reiterated his disappointment in a statement today in the Ontario legislature. The following is the text of his remarks:
“Perth-Wellington needs more family doctors. The government should be well aware of that fact. For the last three years, my constituents and I have told them so.
“In July, I asked the minister for information on the number of my constituents registered with the government’s Health Care Connect program, and how long they are expected to wait on that list to be matched with a new doctor.
“The numbers are staggering – and they support the point that my constituents and I have been making for years.
“According to the minister: on average, individuals from Perth-Wellington who are currently registered with Health Care Connect have been waiting on the list for 309 days, and, as of March 31, 2014, there was an estimate of 927 individuals from Perth-Wellington registered with Health Care Connect. Since March 2014, another doctor in Perth-Wellington has closed his practice, so that number must be even higher today.
“I hope the minister will listen. I hope he will ensure that everyone in Perth-Wellington has access to the medical care they deserve now, not 309 days down the road.”
