Healthcare Access in Canada: Can Telehealth Help Close the Gap?

Canada has a publicly funded healthcare system that millions of people rely on every day. But having a healthcare system and being able to access care when you actually need it are not always the same thing.

For many Canadians, the challenge is no longer simply finding a doctor. It is getting an appointment soon enough to deal with a health concern before it becomes more disruptive, more uncomfortable or potentially more serious.

According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), in 2024 only 27% of Canadian adults with a primary care provider were able to see a health provider on the same or next day for a non-urgent primary-care need.

That means a large proportion of patients may find themselves asking a familiar question:

What do I do when I need medical advice, but I can’t see my doctor?

The healthcare access gap

Primary care is often the first point of contact with Canada’s healthcare system. It can include everything from discussing new symptoms and managing minor illnesses to reviewing medications, monitoring chronic conditions and arranging referrals.

The difficulty is that timely access remains a challenge.

CIHI has reported that 5.7 million Canadian adults did not have a regular healthcare provider in 2024. At the same time, even people who do have a family doctor, nurse practitioner or other regular provider may still struggle to secure a prompt appointment.

When access is delayed, patients may postpone seeking help, try to manage symptoms themselves or turn to emergency departments and walk-in services.

CIHI has also reported that around 1 in 7 emergency department visits were for conditions that could potentially be managed in primary care, and more than half of those visits involved conditions that could potentially be managed virtually.

This is where virtual healthcare can potentially play a useful role.

Where telehealth fits

Telehealth is not intended to replace every in-person medical appointment. Some symptoms and conditions require a physical examination, diagnostic testing, imaging or emergency treatment.

However, virtual consultations can create another pathway into the healthcare system when an in-person appointment is difficult to obtain.

Depending on the patient’s situation and the healthcare service being used, telehealth may be appropriate for areas such as:

• discussing certain new or minor health concerns;

• medication reviews and appropriate prescription-related consultations;

• follow-up appointments;

• ongoing communication about an existing condition;

• reviewing symptoms and deciding whether further in-person care is necessary;

• discussing test results or treatment progress.

For someone who is sick at home, lives far from a clinic, has mobility challenges, is caring for children or simply cannot obtain a timely appointment, speaking with a healthcare professional remotely can make accessing advice considerably more convenient.

Telehealth can complement your regular doctor

The strongest role for virtual healthcare may be as part of a broader care system rather than as a replacement for traditional medicine.

Your family doctor or regular healthcare team remains important for continuity of care, preventive medicine and long-term management. Virtual healthcare can provide an additional access point when waiting for the next available appointment is impractical.

It can also help patients determine the appropriate next step. After assessing the concern, a virtual healthcare professional may advise home management, arrange appropriate treatment or recommend that the patient attend an in-person clinic, urgent-care centre or emergency department.

That ability to navigate patients toward the right level of care can be just as valuable as the consultation itself.

Healthcare should be available when patients need it

Canada’s healthcare access challenge cannot be solved by technology alone. More healthcare professionals, better primary-care capacity and improved coordination remain essential.

But telehealth can help make the existing healthcare system easier to access.

When appropriate, virtual care gives Canadians another way to speak with a qualified healthcare professional without necessarily travelling to a clinic or waiting for their regular doctor’s next available appointment.

For patients, the benefit is straightforward:

Healthcare access should not depend entirely on whether you can get into your doctor’s office today.