The province is set to meet its goal of connecting all Ontarians to primary care providers by 2029, said Health Minister Sylvia Jones in an announcement.
Since the Primary Care Action Plan came in to effect last January, about 275,000 new patients have been connected to a primary care provider. This is closer to its goal of connecting 300,000 new people to care in the 2025-2026 year and every Ontarian receiving care by 2029.
“Our government is protecting Ontario’s health-care system and leading the country with investments that give Ontarians the highest rate of access to a regular health-care provider in Canada,” said Jones in a statement on Monday.
“I’m incredibly proud of the progress we’ve made in the first year of our plan as we continue to take bold action to connect every Ontarian to care and help more people live fuller, more active lives.”
Much of the progress is due to taking 177,000 people off the Health Care Connect waitlist, officials said, reducing the waitlist by more than 75 per cent since last year. Yet since the implementation of the $2.1 billion investment plan, officials say over 91,000 people have added themselves to the list.
The latest provincial estimate of those without primary care is 1.98 million, down from the 2.5 million estimate that came out in mid-2024.
“Together we are building a primary care system that is comprehensive, convenient and connected for every person in Ontario,” said Dr. Jane Philpott, Chair of Ontario’s Primary Care Action Team in a statement.
“With historic investments and strong collaboration, Ontario is making real progress toward ensuring that everyone has timely access to a family doctor, nurse practitioner or primary care team close to home.”
Other announcements include new seats at medical schools, increased funding for dozens of new primary care teams to accept new patients, and the quicker processing of out-of-province doctors being able to practice in Ontario.
