London Ontario family doctor recruitment funding has been withdrawn after a narrow 8–7 vote by city council, leaving a critical local healthcare initiative scrambling for support amid a worsening family doctor shortage.
The funding was part of a recruitment and retention program launched by the Middlesex-London Ontario Health Team, designed to address a crisis where roughly one in four residents in London and Middlesex County do not have access to a primary-care provider.
What Is the Family Doctor Recruitment Program?
Launched in partnership with the London Economic Development Corporation, Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine, London’s hospitals, and the Middlesex Hospital Alliance, the initiative aimed to bring new family doctors to the area. Council initially contributed $50,000 in 2023, with recruitment efforts starting in early 2024.
So far, the program has attracted six new family doctors this year and is in ongoing talks with 15 more. Organizers had requested $80,000 in continued support to maintain operations, including staffing, promotions, and physician outreach.
The Urgent Need for Family Doctors in London
The shortage is growing. Nearly 100,000 people in the region—about 25% of the population—currently lack a family doctor. That’s a significant jump from 65,000 in July 2023. Furthermore, 61 family doctors in the London area are expected to retire within five years, potentially leaving 85,000 patients without care.
Why Did London City Council Withdraw Funding?
Despite acknowledging the critical need, council members debated whether the responsibility lies with the city or the province. Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis argued healthcare funding should come from Queen’s Park, comparing the situation to education: “If the school board came asking for teacher recruitment funds, we’d tell them to ask the province.”
Councillor Skylar Franke, supporting a scaled-down contribution, proposed a $50,000 grant instead of the full $80,000. “We absolutely need someone dedicated to doctor recruitment,” she said. But the motion failed by a single vote, with 8 councillors opposing it.
Mayor Josh Morgan criticized the idea of cities offering large recruitment incentives to doctors, calling it “a race to the bottom” and suggested it should be banned.
What’s Next for the Recruitment Program?
Despite losing municipal funding, the Middlesex London Primary Care Network remains committed. In a statement to The London Free Press, the group vowed to continue recruiting doctors and advocating for provincial support.
“Our commitment to bringing family doctors to Middlesex London remains the same,” the statement read. “We will continue working to connect prospective physicians with our community and support efforts to strengthen primary care access.”
The group also pledged to push for a share of the $1.4 billion in primary care funding promised by Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government to connect two million more people to family doctors over four years.
