Healthcare in Ottawa

You’ll be pleased to find that Canada’s clean and green capital city of Ottawa offers excellent healthcare facilities and first-rate practitioners. Generally, all doctors and medical staff will speak fluent English, French, or both.

Medical facilities in Ottawa

Ottawa Public Health, the city’s arm of government health services, administers public healthcare in the metropolis. Public hospitals in Ottawa provide a good standard of care, but waiting lists can be long, sometimes even in emergency departments. Several initiatives, such as the Offload Medicine Transition Unit (OMTU) at The Ottawa Hospital’s Civic Campus, aim to reduce these waiting times and improve patient care.

Another challenge you might face is finding family doctors or general practitioners (GPs). Most family doctors in Ottawa have long lists of patients, and many clinics place limitations on accepting new patients. Tens of thousands of Ottawa residents lack access to primary care providers, a problem exacerbated by physician retirements and underinvestment in primary care.

We recommend you ask co-workers and friends for information on any doctors still accepting new patients. You can also contact the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario for assistance in finding a GP. Resources such as Health Care Connect, and Medimap can also help you find a family doctor.

While waiting to find a doctor, you can still visit your local walk-in clinic for emergencies or check-ups. Walk-in medical clinics in Ottawa provide prompt medical care for those without a family doctor. Many clinics offer extended hours, and some are open seven days a week, providing care outside regular office hours. They also often provide specialised services like mental health support and physiotherapy.

Useful links

• College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario
• Health Care Connect
• Medimap

Health insurance in Ottawa

Ottawa falls under the province of Ontario, so if you live in the city, you can access the province’s publicly funded healthcare system, which is available through the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP). Contributions to OHIP are made through automatic tax deductions from your salary.

The three-month waiting period for OHIP coverage has been removed, which means that eligible new residents now have immediate access to health insurance upon approval.

Prescription medicines, dentistry, and optometry are not part of the OHIP coverage, except under special conditions, so you must pay for these services. Most people living in Ottawa have additional private health insurance, often provided by their employer, to cover these costs. You typically have to pay out of pocket for prescription medicines and submit your receipts to your private health insurance provider to be reimbursed.

If you do not have OHIP coverage, community resources such as Community Health Centres (CHCs) and the Ottawa Newcomer Health Centre (ONHC) provide healthcare services, focusing on assisting vulnerable populations. Additionally, the Interim Federal Health Programme (IFHP) offers temporary healthcare coverage for refugees and asylum seekers who are not yet eligible for provincial health insurance.

Hospitals in Ottawa

Below are some of the most well-respected hospitals in Ottawa.

The Ottawa Hospital

Website: www.ottawahospital.on.ca
Address: 501 Smyth Rd, Ottawa

Queensway Carleton Hospital

Website: www.qch.on.ca
Address: 3045 Baseline Rd, Nepean

University of Ottawa Heart Institute

Website: www.ottawaheart.ca 
Address: 40 Ruskin St, Ottawa

The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario

Website: www.cheo.on.ca
Address: 401 Smyth Rd, Ottawa

Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre

Website: www.theroyal.ca
Address: 1145 Carling Ave, Ottawa