Ontario is making progress towards ensuring all residents in the province have access to a primary care provider by 2029. Health Minister Sylvia Jones indicated that approximately 275,000 individuals have already been connected to primary care in the initial year of the government’s initiative. Dr. Jane Philpott, appointed by the Ontario government a year ago to lead the primary care action team, joined Jones in the announcement.
Although there is a need to accelerate the rate of linking individuals with family doctors in the upcoming years to meet the 2029 objective, Jones expressed confidence in achieving this goal under Dr. Philpott’s guidance. Notably, over half of the progress made involved clearing a backlog by transitioning more than 177,000 people off the Health Care Connect waitlist, primarily by assigning them a family physician. However, some individuals were removed from the list due to finding alternative care arrangements independently or relocating out of the province.
An audit revealed that the Health Care Connect waitlist is underutilized, with only 11% of individuals requiring primary care on it, and less than 10% of family doctors enrolling patients from the list. Jones emphasized the government’s dedication to enhancing the system and optimizing Health Care Connect to offer a superior patient experience.
The government initiated its primary care plan a year ago, establishing an interim goal to connect all individuals on the Health Care Connect waitlist as of January 1, 2025, to primary care by spring 2026. With 234,000 people on the list at the beginning of 2025, the current count stands at approximately 57,000, aligning with the government’s target. Additionally, officials reported an increase of 91,000 registrations on the list since January 1, 2025.
The government estimates that nearly 1.98 million Ontarians lack access to primary care. Adil Shamji, the Liberal health critic, emphasized the need for broader public awareness about Health Care Connect to ensure all individuals are linked to primary care. Jones highlighted that the government is supporting the establishment of numerous new primary care teams across the province, facilitating the acceptance of thousands of patients. Additionally, efforts include creating new medical school positions and streamlining the licensing process for out-of-province doctors seeking to practice in Ontario.
