In Ottawa, a city teeming with thousands longing for regular medical care, a solution has surfaced. Albeit, at a price. A new clinic in the South End of the city promises a lifeline to immediate healthcare service – devoid of wait times. However, this seemingly seamless service comes tethered with an annual membership fee of $400 per person.
Secured on the intersection of Bank Street and Hunt Club Road, the South Keys Health Centre readies for its debut in the following week. The clinic, by the sound of its echoing online waiting list, anticipates a flurry of potential members prepared and willing to pay for access.
Championing an innovative concept entitled ‘rapid access’, the clinic’s Clinical Director, Osman Nur, confirms its legality. Entrusted to nurse practitioners, patients will find immediate access to a wide range of health services, from prescriptions to referrals to specialists.
The unique model, however, withholds access to doctors practicing family medicine from those who pay the membership fee. Basing itself on provincial health laws, the clinic leverages the fact that unlike doctors, nurse practitioners can legally charge a fee for services typically covered by OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance Plan). With this unique selling point, the South Keys Health Centre hopes to bridge the gaping crevasse in Ottawa’s medical system – a stark deficiency of family doctors.
Beyond the immediate access offered to nurse practitioners, the clinic provides a sundry of other services. These include a pharmacy, chiropractic treatments, physio, and massage therapies—services that remain a hit or miss in terms of OHIP coverage.
However, the birth of such a combination clinic, offering both insured and non-insured services under one roof, does not come without criticism. Kevin Skerrett, affiliated with the Ottawa Health Coalition, flags potential conflicts of interest and collectively calls for increased funding to uphold family doctors’ needs. His concerns stem from growing tendencies of private clinics disregarding the fine line between public health care and non-insured services, which could give rise to a tiered system, akin to the American model.
This issue has found its way to Ontario’s Ministry of Health. A ministry spokesperson, when questioned about the new clinic’s framework, underscored their intolerance towards clinics charging for services typically under OHIP’s purview. They went on to assert their commitment to rectify any violations that compromise insured patients and ensure reimbursement for any charged insured services. Furthermore, they announced a planned review into the services catered by non-included nurse practitioners, intending to decisively quash any exploitation of patients.
