The Impending Healthcare Crisis in Ontario: An Urgent Call to Action
Is Ontario Prepared for the 4.4 Million People Potentially Without Family Doctors by 2026?
Having dedicated over two decades to medicine, technology, and global health, I am profoundly concerned by the evident gaps in the Canadian healthcare system, particularly in Ontario. The recent announcement by the Ontario College of Family Physicians (OCFP) revealing that one in four Ontarians might lack a family doctor by 2026 isn’t merely a wake-up call — it’s an urgent siren demanding prompt action. So I reached out to Dr. Manish Chadda, MD DABR FRCP(C), a radiologist and healthcare executive with a deep understanding of the Canadian healthcare system.
As Dr. Chadda trained in both the US and Canadian healthcare systems, we both have observed a concerning pattern in the United States — where primary care physicians grapple with mounting administrative tasks and a complex healthcare system. For context, about 25% of U.S. healthcare expenses go towards administration, with physicians dedicating a significant chunk of their time to non-clinical tasks. At least for myself, the finding of a similar trend in Canada was initially surprising.
The stark reality in Canada mirrors the U.S. scenario. Canadian family physicians, as per OCFP, dedicate a staggering 19 hours weekly to administrative duties.
Picture this: A devoted family doctor starts their day early, balancing patient consultations with a mountain of paperwork. Amidst this chaos, nearly 4 hours daily are consumed by administrative tasks, overshadowing the genuine joy of patient care. The culmination? Exhausted doctors, many contemplating leaving a profession they once cherished, resulting in a potential loss of invaluable experience and expertise. This isn’t merely about statistics — it’s the heart of Ontario’s healthcare in peril.
Whose Responsibility Is This?
While it’s easy to lay blame on various government bodies, the truth is more profound. Everyone, including healthcare executives, government officials, doctors, patients, and even tech firms, shares responsibility. We’ve relegated healthcare to political talking points or profit avenues, sidelining its core purpose — community well-being. Both the problem and the solution are collective.
Embrace Tech Partnerships Rooted in Values
As someone who’s founded health tech companies, I cannot stress enough the potential of technology to bridge these gaps. But we need a paradigm shift in how we think. We need to build partnerships between technology companies and health systems where the core pillar is “accompaniment” — walking together in unity of thought, vision, and action to address challenges.
In addition, healthcare has become a hydra-headed monster of complexity, and it’s time to simplify. Could AI tools, for instance, eliminate repetitive administrative tasks? Absolutely. Let’s focus on subtraction rather than addition, on streamlining processes rather than compounding them.
The next step is to design with growth and flexibility in mind. We need to develop a central operating system that enables the plug and play of the emerging tools that can advance healthcare delivery, from AI enabled radiology tools to systems that support better patient and family engagement, without compromising privacy, data, and most importantly the insights we need to better serve our communities.
Lastly, we must transition our thinking from the care of communities to the health of communities. Family physicians should be empowered to think beyond the four walls of their clinics. Could community healthcare workers manage routine follow-ups? Could telemedicine take on some of the load? Certainly.
With a harmoniously integrated health system supported by a thoughtfully conceived tech platform, our medical professionals can reclaim their autonomy. They can be wholly present for their patients — functioning as caregivers, not mere administrators.
Dr. Chadda firmly believes that
“the path forward has to be comprehensive, collaborative, and incremental in nature — a path in which we co-develop the future of healthcare care delivery in Canada by transforming our current models and leverage technology that is purpose built for our needs.” In addition, “generative AI is going to unlock how we view technology, as we are now going to be able to engage with data and software in a natural way.”
This is a critical moment for healthcare in Ontario, and by extension, Canada. The impending crisis is not just a political issue; it’s a human issue that calls for an all-hands-on-deck approach.
We need the government, medical institutions, tech firms, and the community to rally together, transforming our healthcare system into a beacon of efficiency and compassion on the global stage.
I am wholeheartedly committed to this vision, ready to harness technology’s potential in shaping the future of healthcare. Failure is not an option, because lives — millions of them — are at stake.
Co-authored with Dr. Manish Chadda, MD DABR FRCP(C) Board Chairman and Chief Medical Officer Clear Medical Imaging. Founder, CureLabs
