Ontario's Doctors Respond to Conference Board of Canada Report

TORONTO, May 23, 2013 /CNW/ - The Conference Board of Canada's report, Paving the Road to Higher Performance, shows that Ontario is on the right track working toward a high-quality, sustainable health care system. Ontario's doctors have played an important role in improving and strengthening patient care and access to services by working harder, delivering more services and providing more treatments. This has helped to reduce wait times for several key surgeries and procedures.  We have helped over 2.5 million patients find a family doctor who didn't have one before. More than 9,000 doctors are now managing health records electronically for over 9 million patients.

As the report notes, health promotion is vitally important to a healthy population and reducing the incidence of chronic diseases. Ontario's doctors have been leaders in actively calling for legislative changes and other measures to help people reduce salt intake and turn back the tide of rising obesity rates.  We have successfully fought for tougher laws to curb smoking in Ontario and stopped minors from using indoor tanning beds.  We believe that helping to prevent chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease is the best form of cure.

But there's much more work to be done.

Every patient in Ontario deserves to have access to a doctor, but unfortunately there are still too many residents of rural and northern Ontario who experience unacceptably long waits or travel time for routine health visits. Too many still don't have a family doctor. We must work harder to increase the number of family doctors and specialists practicing in Ontario, and to keep this province competitive in attracting the best physicians.

Dr. Scott Wooder
President
Ontario Medical Association

SOURCE: Ontario Medical Association

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