The election may be the best opportunity for ordinary citizens to push for change when it comes to the doctor shortage gripping Ontario, says the president of the Ontario Medical Association.
There are currently 24 physician vacancies in Sault Ste. Marie — six of which are for Family doctors, the OMA said.
The non-partisan organization says those vacancies represent 12,447 people in the community who are without a family doctor.
In an interview on Tuesday, OMA president Dr. Dominik Nowak said the single most important thing we could do for our health-care system is connect everyone to a family doctor.
"It's heartbreaking hearing about the lack of access to family doctors across the province," Nowak said.
The news from last year about the Group Health Centre in the Sault de-rostering 10,000 patients was heartbreaking, said Nowak, but it was also a symptom of a bigger province-wide problem.
Nowak said voters should take the opportunity to ask candidates about the doctor shortage at every opportunity they get during the current provincial election.
"For those of us who have candidates visit our doors, we should be asking them what's their plan for the health-care system?
"What's their plan for connecting everyone to a family doctor and what's their plan for not just recruiting family doctors into the system, but keeping the ones that we already have in our community?" said Nowak.
"As voters, we should be expecting any candidate that knocks on our doors has some answers for the health-care questions we have," he added.
Aside from meeting candidates at the door, Nowak suggested voters seek out election events involving candidates to press for answers.
"We're encouraging people to show up at health-care debates, ask candidates questions about health care, raise it to the the top of the provincial party agendas and have it a priority for this election," said Nowak.
"Right now we're in the middle of an election and what I'm telling people is to vote based on who they trust to rebuild confidence in our health-care system," he added.
Nowak said he was recently in the Sault meeting with local doctors to speak about the crisis and wait times affecting the community.
There is a long list of ailments that aren't able to be treated in a timely fashion in the Sault, he said, including severe cancers, plastic surgery, child psychiatry, obstetrics and many kinds of specialty care.
"We know If you have a family doctor you end up getting cancer screening and preventive care done on time and you are using the emergency department less often.
"You end up living longer if you have a family doctor and then you end up costing the health-care system less money," Nowak said.
"We make it more sustainable for us to have a strong Canadian health-care system for decades to come if we connect everyone to that family doctor," he added.
Doctors in the Sault want to work, said Nowak, but they also need support.
"The North has different needs than the rest of the province and our elected officials need to own that as they think about how we rebuild our health-care system," he said.
Nowak said while he was in the Sault he heard about some 'amazing things' that the doctor groups are doing to tackle those challenges.
"But they also need support from the decision makers and the politicians," he said.
The OMA represents 43,000 physicians, medical students and retired physicians in Ontario. All physicians practicing medicine in Ontario are required to pay dues to the organization.