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Wanted: A family doctor accepting new patients!

By Edar 'Cinnikull' Aihil

canada healthcare If you ever require a referral to a specialist, you first need to have a family doctor who could refer you to one. Fair enough.

However, I had no idea that getting yourself a family physician in Toronto, Ontario would be a task next to impossible – no, I think I’m being impolite here. Let me rephrase: it is impossible for someone new to get a family doctor here.

In fact, the term “Family Doctor” is a misnomer for those who are a ‘family of one’ and are newcomers to Canada in the first place. True, most newcomers do have some family connections here but those may not have a doctor accepting new patients to begin with, or enough “Canadian Ties” for referrals. I could go on… but that’s the not the point of this rant.

The only viable option is to get a list of hundreds of doctors and walk-in clinics and then start calling every single one of them and/or visiting every single one of them in hopes of hitting a freak lucky break and getting a doctor who is accepting new patients. I am being repetitive here, but that helps establishing the point further.

I did some research on family physicians and doctors accepting new patients. As I’ve learnt, the first stop should be the out-of-date website operated by The College of Physicians and Surgeons Ontario and trying to find a doctor who’s accepting new patients. It’s a cruel joke than any useful service, really. Whatever results the site throws at you (if any), when you end up calling those, you find their waiting list already filled up months and months in advance. So much for Canadian health care.

For newbies like me, here are some resources to find (with any luck) a new family doctor in the Greater Toronto Area. If anyone knows of any new doctors accepting new patients, please use this space to inform us newbies! Any information will be greatly appreciated!

FINDING A CLINIC OR A DOCTOR IN TORONTO
Published: June 19th, 2008

Comments

  • AK

    thanks for this post. it captures the situation very aptly. I find myself in this predicament…it is a major struggle to find a family practice doctor in toronto…you just end up banging on doors…and having to deal with obnoxious receptionists at the other end who explain that they receive more than 20 calls a day from people in the same situation. Is that supposed to be comforting? I found the College of Physicians and Surgeons link out of date and totally useless, it would be great if they took it more seriously. I feel like it is such a waste of my tax money to contribute to a system that fails me when I need it most. The anxiety of trying to find a doctor for a referral in Toronto is enough to drive one into the hospital. – A

  • http://eacosta.wordpress.com/ Edgar

    Quite the same thing here in Ottawa. At first we didn’t care, but when it came the need to find one, I was at lost. I also came across the website operated by The College of Physicians and Surgeons Ontario, which was a total waste of time. They even list physicians that were retired for at least one year as taking new patients, and a geriatric specialist as family doctor.

    We ended up registering to the waiting list of our closest community health centre and waited for 5 months before a doctor could take us. Not that we didn’t tried during that time, but that was the first good news after 7 months chasing a family doctor.

    However, don’t expect much. Family doctors can give you a very bad time before they decide to refer you to an specialist. And so far every specialist we have seen, except for the ones that work on a hospital campus, is a joke. The last one went as far as to make us wait 90 minutes only to say “I’m not familiar with this kind of problem, why were you referred to me?”

  • http://www.healthwithcare.ca HealthWithCare

    We are accepting new patients, visit our website at http://www.healthwithcare.ca or our clinic at 3621 Hwy7 East, Markham L3R0G6

  • Vinita

    I love this blog. For someone like me who is soon going to be living an independent immigrant’s life in Canada in Toronto, from where you write. It offers a wealth of honest perspectives.

  • Michael

    IT IS TRUE!!!!!

    Call Health with care before they’re full too! No lies, no blogger spam.

    I was looking around, came across this page and decided to call after months of the same experiences as the other posts.

    We have qualified doctors, yet we choose not to employ them or tie them up with red tape; all the while, the administrative end is lacking the clout and efficiency to expedite the process.

    We need a solution before healthcare becomes a thing of the past.

  • http://www.consumedconsumer.org ConsumedConsumer

    Canada has the lowest number of physicians per capita in the OECD, due primarily to Ontario, which has, as expected, the lowest number of physicians / capita in Canada & the industrialized world. This is shameful, but will continue to happen as long as those without a family physician allow the situation to continue. Even those with a family physician suffer, because people with one end up going to the emergency room for reasons that could be easily solved had they had a family physician.

    The solution? Demand that more residency spots are created for both locally trained doctors as well as foreign-trained doctors. It really is that simple, but for too many reasons to go into right here that’s not being done.

  • Melissa

    As someone with a family doctor I’m also incredibly frustrated with the situation in Ontario regarding healthcare. I made an apointment for an annual checkup and my ‘family doctor’ had 10 minutes to do any necessary testing. I had several things to discuss, all of which went unaddressed because of time restraints. So I would imagine it’s horrible not having a doctor, but it’s not much better with one…

  • Jan

    I’m born & bred in Toronto and, no offense, but it’s the same for me. When my family doctor finally gave up practice (25 years ago), it never occurred to me to arrange patient status with a new one.

    Five years ago, I had a health crunch & wound up very sick in hospital for a few weeks. I was told to follow up with my ‘family doctor’ and after a month of searching (doing exactly what you’re talking about) I still couldn’t find one! The hospital outreach program finally stepped in and set me up with a doctor ‘temporarily’ (!) and through him, I got myself on a waiting list elsewhere.

    It just kills me that there are doctors (and other professionals) driving cabs in this city, simply because they’re immigrants and we haven’t a workable process for accepting their credentials (apparently at any level).

    It makes me sad. Even on a simply moral basis, how can anyone encourage someone else to come somewhere to follow their life’s work — and then not have some framework through which they can do just that?

    What a waste. A waste and a shame.

  • Whitney

    Thank you!!! Healthzone.ca was the first i checked and found a few places around my area… now i’ll i have to do is call and see if they’re accepting new patients! I’ve moved here from Alberta and thought it was jus as easy to find a doctor but nope! I’ve been to the walk-in clinic down the street maybe 10 times since living here but that’s just not enough to see the same doctor every time! i hope to find a doctor soon

  • Anthony

    My wife works for a Doctor who is accepting new patients.

    Dr. O. Shabash
    815 College Street
    Toronto, Ontario
    416-533-1145

    She says the patients like him and he is a pretty nice guy. Say hi to her when you go there. She’s the one with the big smile!

  • http://yes Susanne

    I am just wondering why everything has to be about immegrants or minorities, I’m white and have the same problem, was it supposed to be easier for me because that is a complete myth.
    Here is one, caucasion people don’t even have support of their own family and still can’t find a doctor, get no help from the government and jobs hire minorities. Yes the country.

  • Rob

    I have signed up with Dr. Bowen Chan, a Dr. that replaced my regular Dr temporarily while on mat leave. He is much more patient than my former Dr and seems genuine. I think he will book up fast.

    Dr. Chan told me that his newly clinic will open in January and he has started a registration waitist. Here is the address he gave me:

    473 Dupont Street(at Bathurst), main floor
    Toronto, Ontario
    M6G 1Y6
    416-588-1888
    healthsourcemedical@gmail.com

  • http://loldham07@hotmail.com laura oldham

    i moved to sudbury ontario to be with our son and we cant fine a doctor i have phoned every one in the phone book. i am niot an immigrant. but we still need adoctor in sudbury or hanmer.

  • http://www.healthwithcare.ca HealthWithCare

    We now have a full service Walk-In Clinic that is open 7 days/week. We also have 3 Family Physicians accepting new patients, 2 of which are female!

    Visit our website at http://www.healthwithcare.ca or call us at 905.474.5754

  • elizabeth streker

    I live in Toronto for the past 35 years.I have never seen the worse situation with medi-care.
    Please help me find a family doctor in Scarborough area.My doctor just send us a letter stating he can no longer continue with his practice (he is simply ill).All walk in clinics are not accepting new patients as well.Please provide a friendly web-site with new doctors that we can refer to.Thank you

  • Konrad

    ))))Well according to Canadian medical board it is risky to use “third-world” docs because their qualifications and credentials are …murky. I don`t want to sound rude but mostly doctors from Eastern Europe are trained way better than their counterparts here in Canada.
    You will be probably shocked and appalled by such a mind-boggling statement…However let`s be sincere – As most of these strange countries belonged to Soviet Union,their medical system and education was uniform(known as Russian medical school)The latter was a result of a clever mixing of German and old Russian medical tradition. Rigorous and very standardized it was used by Cubans as a basis for their own needs. Today Cuban doctors are named among the best in the world. Just make a small comparison and you will understand what am I talking about. Russian m.school has a history of 600 years and Canadian is barely 150…

  • denis tessier

    im loooking for a doctor in Ottawa who accept new patient in Ottawa only
    Thank .YOU .

  • Robert

    @Susanne. I am responding a little late to your statement. Perhaps you should consider the blog’s selected target audience. It is immigrants, and I don’t see that race is an issue.

  • Cristy

    Today I visit the Dr. O. Shabash I found the info in one of the comments here but this doctor is terrible, they make me wait for an hour. When I finally pass to see the doctor he was using the blackberry and listening to me at the same time.. and he just push the 4 mins consultation with no attention.

    I wouldn’t suggest this doctor to anybody it is a waist of time.

  • Dil Kumar Rai

    Dear sir or madam, this is me Dil Kumar Rai from Nepal. I am 34 years old guy.
    I am having problem in my right limb (nerves has been pressed), also suffering from
    uric acid and gastric. I did acupuncture, physiotherapy and other treatment for my
    diseases in Nepal, but it didn’t benifit for my health. I am looking further treatment
    in Canada.My physician has referred me for my furthur treatment in Canada. Without an Appointment Lettet? I can’t apply for Canadian Visa Hope I will get an Refferal or Appointment in your Hospital, Hopping for your kind respond soon. Good day.
    Your truely,
    Dil Kumar Rai.

    Request for a Referred from physician or an Appointment

  • Mamam

    I need a family doctor in Ottawa and a ped…Does anyone know of someoe accepting new patients?
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