Whether you are new to the country or have lived in Canada all your life, you will need a family doctor. You may have come to Canada as an immigrant or refugee and one of the most important things you should have in your to-do list is to find a doctor for yourself and your family. Even if you’ve been here many years, there may come a point where you may decide to find another doctor.
Perhaps something happened that caused you to be unhappy with the service; maybe your doctor retired and you are not happy with the new doctor; any number of reasons can cause you to look for a family doctor. Let’s look at some of the best ways to find a family doctor in Ontario.
1. Word Of Mouth
Word of mouth can be pretty powerful in many walks of life. Positive things being said about a service or business will bring in more clients but just as powerful are negative statements. When too many people do not have anything nice to say, it will cause a great deal of loss for a business.
Ask family members and friends if they can recommend a good family medicine practice. Their advice will be unbiased and at least it will be coming from a trusted source. It will make you feel better to go and see someone who comes highly recommended. This may take some time, because you need to find out if new patients are being accepted.
2. Health Care Connect
You can register with Health Care Connect. This will enable you to find local doctors and nurse practitioners who are currently taking in new patients. However, while this is a very helpful resource, you must have your OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance Plan) if you want to use this service. You must also not be registered with any Ontario family health care provider. You can register for this online, assuming you meet the criteria.
3. Doctor Search
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario has a website which you can use to find doctors. This can be a helpful site because you can use it to find either female or male doctors only. You can also use the advanced search feature to find a doctor who speaks the same language. The advanced feature allows you to narrow down your search so it becomes a little more targeted.
4. Ask Hospitals
You can also try asking the nearest hospitals if they have any family practices that they would recommend. If they do not have one with which they are affiliated, they could still suggest a family practice or practices that they may know of.
There are also other ways to get yourself a permanent family doctor, or at least see a family doctor quickly. One way to see a doctor quickly (apart from wait times, of course!) is to go to a walk-in clinic. A walk-in clinic is a good way to have access to a doctor without having to worry about whether they are accepting new patients or appointments. You can also try the Community Health Centres. Just remember that help is always available, whether you are in a rush or if you have the time to search, so don’t worry.
