Ontario reports drop in residents lacking primary-care providers

The province says the number of Ontarians without a regular primary-care provider fell to 1.98 million from about 2.5 million in 2023, and more than 275,000 people were newly enrolled in the first nine months of 2025; officials also noted some of the change follows an agreed refinement in how unattached patients are counted.

Ontario announced that the number of residents without a regular primary-care provider fell to 1.98 million, down from a widely shared estimate of 2.5 million in 2023. The province said more than 275,000 people were newly enrolled with a family doctor or nurse practitioner in the first nine months of 2025. The announcement marked the one-year anniversary of the Primary Care Action Team, led by Jane Philpott, which focuses on expanding interdisciplinary primary-care clinics. The government has committed $2.1 billion over four years to the effort and budgeted $235 million in 2025–26 to expand or open 130 clinics. Key details: - The province reported 1.98 million residents without a regular primary-care provider, down from an estimated 2.5 million in 2023. - More than 275,000 Ontarians were newly enrolled with a family doctor or nurse practitioner in the first nine months of 2025. - Reported net new attachments were 93,277 in the first quarter, 76,371 in the second and 105,904 in the third of 2025; fourth-quarter figures were not yet available. - Health Care Connect had 234,503 people in the queue on Jan. 1, 2025; officials said 177,108 were off the list by early 2026 and about 91,000 people joined the list since Jan. 1, 2025. - The province is spending $235 million in 2025–26 to expand or open 130 interdisciplinary primary-care clinics and has committed $2.1 billion over four years to the overall plan. - The Auditor-General had previously criticized Health Care Connect as out of date; officials said many shortcomings have been addressed, while medical association leaders and opposition critics said access and demand remain concerns. Summary: The reported decline combines both new patient attachments and a refined counting method agreed between the ministry and the academic network. The government aims to attach 500,000 patients in the next fiscal year and 600,000 in each of the two years after that. Fourth-quarter attachment data are undetermined at this time.