A version of the following message was circulated electronically December 2022:
As many of you are aware, I have indefinitely moved out of Toronto for family reasons. For a period of time I worked closely with colleagues to provide care via a combination of virtual and in-person care. More recently, for the last few months, Dr. Alyssa Cantarutti has been covering my practice.
In the meantime, I have been searching for a physician to take over my practice permanently as I want to make sure everyone continues to have a family doctor. This has unfortunately proven to be difficult as there is an overall family doctor shortage across Ontario and Canada as detailed in the news and the Ontario Medical Association.
So far, I have been able to find
a permanent physician (Dr. Moosa Jamal) for half my practice
a temporary physician (Dr. Kathy Do) for the other half
To comply with my regulatory requirements, the clinic has randomly assigned patients between these doctors. You will each have received an email letting you know which physician you have been randomly assigned to and how to book appointments January 1 onwards.
Broadly speaking, there is nothing that you will need to do differently due to these changes. Just continue to book as you normally would; contact the clinic and your family doctor as you always have.
Everything went live January 1, 2023, so you will now be able to book online past January 1, 2023.
I will be working with Dr. Jamal and Dr. Do to ensure your ongoing continuity of care and to assist with the transition.
*** Additional information from Magenta Health ***
The pandemic has given rise to more changes in life situations among physicians, just like in the rest of the community. We’re doing our best to offer a replacement physician where possible - we are grateful that Dr. Jamal is available to take over permanently and Dr. Do to take over temporarily to ensure continuing care.
We don’t anticipate being able to accommodate requests to switch to another family doctor within the Magenta Health clinics at this time. There is already a significant shortage of family physicians in the community and a very long waiting list of patients attempting to book intake appointments with us.
Should you decide to transfer to a completely different physician outside of Magenta Health, please request your medical records by contacting us directly: https://www.magentahealth.ca/request-for-medical-records
Dr. Sherwin is not establishing another family practice in Ontario; therefore, it is not an option to remain with her in the long term.
Dr. Cantarutti is currently on parental leave. We do not have confirmed details for where her practice will be located when she finishes her leave, or whether she will be accepting new patients at that time.