Dr. Ali Dozzi
As a new-to-practice doctor and locum, I’m in the thick of urgent care—where, honestly, at least 50 per cent of what I do is primary care. A lot of the patients I see haven’t seen a family doctor for over a decade. They walk in with issues that could have been caught early—overdue cancer screenings, uncontrolled chronic conditions, even early signs of dementia. It’s wild to see many preventable problems escalating to the point that they now need urgent specialist intervention.
I started out in mechanical engineering, which is a lot like family medicine in its own way: cross-disciplinary, and touching on almost every other discipline. I always knew I wanted to attend medical school to combine my love of problem-solving with the human element. I was fortunate to attend a school that was specifically focused on family medicine. I spent my third year immersed in family practice. Unlike some programs that offer just a few weeks in family medicine, my training was built around it and by family physicians. It really opened my eyes to the value of building long-term, meaningful relationships with patients. I truly believe more medical schools need to embrace that same focus on primary care.
Working in urgent care really underlines the importance of long-term relationship-based care. I remember one patient who hadn’t seen a doctor for years. When they finally came in, they were juggling a mix of issues—rectal bleeding causing low iron, high blood pressure, a damaged heart valve, signs of an enlarged heart, among other concerns. These are the kinds of problems that, with regular care, could have been spotted early and managed before turning into near emergencies. It’s heartbreaking and frustrating to see a system where regular primary care isn’t the norm.
Despite all of this, I’m not ready to open my own practice. The LFP Payment Model has been a game changer for family doctors, but for new-to-practice doctors, opening a clinic is a big financial commitment. Myself and many of my residency colleagues are worried about what will happen if the government pulls the rug out from under us. Imagine being locked into a long-term lease and facing the pressure to see 30 patients a day just to cover overhead—especially with massive debt loads and the high cost of living. That kind of uncertainty is not only stressful, it’s downright scary. I think there is a general misunderstanding of the financial realities of being a family physician in Canada.
At the end of the day, I believe in the value of primary care and in building lasting relationships with patients. Although episodic care is necessary in our system, it’s not a replacement for longitudinal primary care. I’m driven by the hope that one day, the system will catch up to the real needs of both patients and doctors. Until then, I’ll continue doing my best—one patient at a time—and keep pushing for more education that truly focuses on the value of family medicine.
Dr. Ali Dozzi is a locum physician practicing in Greater Victoria.