Why thousands of rural Ontarians may be at risk of losing their doctor

Roughly 10,000 patients in rural Ontario could lose their doctor due to a provincial funding decision that splits a small town into haves and have-nots, according to the local clinic’s medical director.

“To have half of our patient population go without those extra supports that we all desperately need right now is a major blow,” Dr. Taylor Ferrier of the Tay River Health Centre told Global News.

Ferrier submitted an application asking the province for $2.9 million, which he said would allow them to cover an additional 8,500 area patients who don’t have a primary health-care provider.

His clinic is in the small town of Perth, Ont., west of Ottawa, with a population of around 6,500. It currently has 10 doctors and more than 10,000 patients.

The application was for team-based care, including women’s health, memory care for patients with dementia, an after-hours clinic and mental health services. It was a joint application with another clinic in the smaller community of Sharbot Lake, Ont.

But earlier this month, Tay River learned that the application was rejected, while the only other family health team’s in Perth was approved. That team will receive $3.1 million.

“Our team was met with grief, shock, and quite a bit of confusion,” Ferrier said.

“And then ultimately, when the dust settled, it was clear that this was going to have a significant and severe impact on our ability to provide that top level of care that we want to, both short and long term.”

The lack of funding means his clinic won’t be able to provide the expanded team services, like after-hours or mental health care. He says it will make it difficult for him to attract new doctors, while several current doctors are already mulling leaving. Each of them wrote letters to