(Toronto) Ontario is asking thousands of family practice clinic workers to work evenings and weekends to help ease the strain on overwhelmed children’s hospitals.
In a government memo obtained by The Canadian Press, the Department of Health is asking family clinics to offer extended hours until further notice.
The health minister’s spokesperson says extended hours at family clinics will help avoid unnecessary hospital visits and that primary care providers will be compensated by OHIP.
The Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario says many clinics across the province are already offering extended hours to help deal with the influx of patients with respiratory illnesses.
The association says the government memo was not a directive, but rather a request to tell patients, especially sick children, where to seek help when a clinic is not open.
Children’s hospitals across the province are well beyond capacity, with children flooding emergency rooms and intensive care units due to circulating influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).