Ottawa city council approves plan to develop doctor recruitment strategy

A stock photo of a health care worker. (Pexels/Karolina Grabowska)

Ottawa city council has voted unanimously to direct staff to develop a strategy to recruit family doctors to the capital.

Rideau-Vanier Coun. Stéphanie Plante moved the motion Wednesday, saying the Ontario College of Family Physicians has warned that as many as 318,000 Ottawa residents could be without a family doctor by 2026 “if urgent action is not taken.”

The motion directs city staff to see what measures are in place in other municipalities in Ontario to attract physicians, engage with the Eastern Ontario Physician Recruitment Alliance, and come back to council with a Primary Care Provider Recruitment and Retainment Strategy by the end of September.

“There is no substitute for family doctors and the foundational value they bring to Canada’s health-care system, providing continuous and comprehensive patient care and clinical leadership in team-based settings,” said Plante at Wednesday’s meeting.

The City of Kingston launched a physician recruitment program in 2022, which includes a $100,000 incentive to eligible family doctors as well as relocation and career support for incoming physicians and their families. A report for Kingston City Council says the recruitment incentive program has attracted 25 family physicians to the city. Kingston’s council approved $3 million to spend on this program.

Plante noted that the motion does not tie Ottawa city council to any future spending.

“It merely looks at what other municipalities are doing in this space and the potential linkages we can make with some our wonderful partners at the Ottawa Hospital, CHEO, Montfort, the universities of Ottawa and Carleton—which has a great nursing program—the Canadian Medical Association and, I hope, our local health centres,” she said.

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Josh Pringle