More than 1 in 5 adults in Canada did not have access to primary care, with large regional gaps in access, found new research in CMAJ ( Canadian Medical Association Journal ) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.
1503/cmaj.231372 . Translated to the population of Canada, our survey estimates that more than 6.
5 million adults across the country don't have access to a family doctor or nurse practitioner they can see regularly. And even those lucky enough to have a family doctor are struggling to get timely care for urgent concerns or care on evenings and weekends." Dr.
Tara Kiran, family physician and researcher at the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions at St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto and the University of Toronto As part of an 18-month, across-Canada initiative to develop a vision with patients and the public for primary care called OurCare, researchers conducted a survey to understand people's values and experiences with primary care. They analyzed data from more than 9200 people via survey, with 73% of surveys in English and 27% in French to provide a national overview.
"What is most surprising is the provincial variation in access to primary care," says Dr. Kiran. "Primary care is the front door to the health care system -; the first point of access for acute concerns, managing chronic disease, preventing illness, and helping people access other supports.
It is simply unconscionable that in some parts of the country, this door is now closed for almost one-thi.
