TORONTO – The agency responsible for monitoring the quality of health services says Ontario is among the worst jurisdictions when it comes to getting an appointment with a doctor.
Health Quality Ontario says only 44 per cent of residents can get same-day or next-day appointments with a primary care provider, the lowest performance out of 10 countries of similar social and economic status.
Get weekly health news
The number of people who can get a quick doctor appointment falls to 28 per cent in northwestern Ontario and 35 per cent in the northeastern half of the province.
The agency says where you live, who you are and how much you earn can also impact your care, warning that people are less likely to receive optimal health care if they’re immigrants, poor, or live in rural or remote areas, or northern Ontario.
It says 86 per cent of immigrants who’ve been in Canada less than 10 years have a primary care provider, compared with 94 per cent of Ontarians born in Canada.
Fifty per cent of people aged 50-to-75 living in the poorest neighbourhoods are overdue for colorectal cancer screening, compared with 35 per cent living in the highest-income neighbourhoods.
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.