Ontario Could Be Headed for a Primary Care Crisis, Says Medical Association

A doctor wears a stethoscope around his neck as he tends to patients in his office in Illinois on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012. The Ontario Medical Association says nearly half of all primary care clinics in the province are considering closing their doors because they can't pay their expenses.. Jeff Roberson/The Canadian Press.

OTTAWA—Nearly half the primary-care clinics in Ontario are at risk of closing their doors if the provincial government can’t immediately pay doctors for virtual visits, according to a survey by the Ontario Medical Association.

Most clinics have been serving patients through virtual appointments, such as over the phone, whenever possible to try to limit potential exposures to COVID-19.