If it is an emergency, go. Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department for chest pain, trouble breathing, signs of a stroke, severe bleeding, a serious injury or a severe allergic reaction. Emergency departments in Ontario treat you whether or not you have a health card yet. Simcoe Medical Clinic provides family and walk-in care and is not an emergency facility.
The short version
- Most eligible newcomers get OHIP coverage right away. Ontario no longer has a three month waiting period.
- You apply for a health card in person at a ServiceOntario centre with three original documents. The card arrives by mail in about four to six weeks, but coverage starts immediately.
- OHIP pays for doctor visits, hospital care, lab tests and diagnostic imaging. It does not pay for most prescriptions for working age adults, dental care, or eyeglasses.
- For everyday illness you have four doors: your pharmacist, a walk-in clinic, Health811, and the emergency department. Each has a job.
- A family doctor is the long term goal. Register with Health Care Connect, and register with a clinic that is accepting new patients. We are.
- يوجد ملخص بالعربية في نهاية هذا الدليل.
Every September, families arrive in Durham Region from every part of the world. Within a few weeks someone in the family has a fever, a child needs vaccination records for school, or a prescription from home runs out, and the questions start. Where do we go? Is it free? Do we need a card first?
We hear these questions at our front desk on Simcoe Street every week, often in Arabic. This guide answers them in order, starting with the one thing to do first.
Step one: get your Ontario health card
Ontario's public health insurance is called OHIP, the Ontario Health Insurance Plan. Your proof of coverage is a photo health card, and it is the first thing any clinic, lab or hospital will ask for. Getting it is free.
Who is eligible. Canadian citizens, permanent residents, convention refugees and protected persons, and many people on a work permit, usually those working full time for an Ontario employer for at least six months. In each case Ontario must be your primary home and you must be physically in the province for at least 153 days in any twelve month period. Visitors and most international students are not eligible; students are usually covered through a university plan called UHIP instead.
There is no waiting period. For decades, newcomers waited three months before OHIP began. That wait was removed in 2020 and has not returned. If you qualify, your coverage starts the day your application is approved.
How to apply. You must go in person to a ServiceOntario centre. There is no online or mail application for a first card. Bring the completed Registration for Ontario Health Insurance Coverage form, which you can download in advance from ontario.ca, and three original documents:
- Proof of your status in Canada
Your Confirmation of Permanent Residence, permanent resident card, work permit, or the immigration document that matches your status.
- Proof that you live in Ontario
A lease, a utility or phone bill, a bank statement, or a letter from your employer showing your Ontario address.
- Proof of identity
A passport, driver's licence, or another document with your name and signature or photo.
Every family member needs their own card and their own status document. Children under sixteen apply together with a parent and need fewer supporting documents. You will leave the counter with a confirmation document that carries your health number. Keep it safe and bring it to appointments until the plastic card arrives, which usually takes four to six weeks.
Refugee claimants. Until your claim is decided, your health coverage comes from the federal Interim Federal Health Program, not OHIP. It covers basic and urgent care and many medications. Bring your IFHP document to every visit, and call a clinic before you go to confirm they can bill the program.
What OHIP pays for, and what it does not
Newcomers are often surprised in both directions: relieved that a hospital stay or a surgery costs nothing, and caught off guard by a pharmacy or dentist bill. Here is the practical breakdown.
Scroll sideways to see the full table.
| Service | Covered by OHIP? | What helps if it is not |
|---|---|---|
| Family doctor and walk-in clinic visits | Yes | Bring your health card or confirmation document to every visit. |
| Specialists, with a referral from a doctor | Yes | Your family doctor or a walk-in physician writes the referral. |
| Hospital and emergency care, surgery, childbirth | Yes | No charge for insured residents. |
| Blood tests and medically necessary imaging such as ultrasound | Yes | A doctor's requisition is required. Ultrasound is available on site through Oshawa Advance Imaging. |
| Prescription medications, adults 25 to 64 | Usually no | Workplace benefits, the Trillium Drug Program for high costs, or paying directly. Ask our pharmacy about lower cost generics. |
| Prescription medications, under 25 with no private plan, and 65 and older | Mostly yes | OHIP+ for children and youth, the Ontario Drug Benefit for seniors. Bring your health card to the pharmacy. |
| Dental care | No for adults | Some children and lower income seniors qualify for provincial programs, and some families qualify for the federal Canadian Dental Care Plan. |
| Eye exams | Yes under 20 and 65 and older, otherwise usually no | Adults with certain conditions such as diabetes may qualify. Glasses are not covered. |
| Ambulance | Partly | There is a co-payment for medically necessary trips. Call 911 anyway in an emergency. |
| Sick notes, forms and other paperwork | No | Clinics may charge a fee for these. Ask about the cost in advance. |
Where to go when someone is sick
In many countries you go to the hospital for everything. In Ontario the system is built in levels, and choosing the right one saves you hours. We wrote a full guide to this, walk-in clinic, pharmacist, or emergency room, and the summary is simple.
Your pharmacist
Ontario pharmacists can assess and prescribe for 28 common conditions such as pink eye, urinary tract infections, cold sores and allergies. No appointment, and the assessment is free with a health card.
Oshawa People Pharmacy is inside our clinic.Walk-in clinic or same day appointment
New problems that need an examination, a prescription outside the pharmacist's list, a test requisition, or a referral.
Walk in during our hours, or book online to reduce your wait.Health811
A registered nurse on the phone, free, 24 hours a day, when you are not sure how serious something is. Interpretation is available in many languages, including Arabic.
Save 811 in your phone today.Emergency department or 911
Serious injury, sudden severe illness, and any of the red flag symptoms at the top of this page.
Lakeridge Health Oshawa is the nearest emergency department.Finding a family doctor
Walk-in visits solve today's problem. A family doctor looks after your health over years: your history, your children's growth, your parents' blood pressure, the screening tests that catch problems early, and the referrals to specialists when you need them. Getting one is the most valuable thing you can do for your family's health in Canada.
Two things to do at the same time. First, register with Health Care Connect, the provincial program that matches people with doctors accepting patients. You can register online or by calling 1-800-445-1822, and you need your health number to do it. Second, do not wait for the program. Many clinics, including ours, accept new patients directly. Our guide on how to find a family doctor in Oshawa and Durham Region explains what to ask when you call a clinic and what to watch out for.
Simcoe Medical Clinic is accepting new patients of all ages, with male and female physicians you can choose between when you book.
Your first month, step by step
- Apply for your health card in your first week
Go to ServiceOntario in person with your three documents. Coverage starts on approval, and the card follows by mail.
- Gather the records you brought from home
Vaccination records for every family member, a list of current medications with the original packaging, and any diagnoses, test results or hospital letters. Translations help, but bring the originals even without them.
- Register with Health Care Connect
Online or by phone once you have your health number. Each family member is registered separately.
- Register with a clinic that is accepting patients and book a first visit
A first visit lets a doctor review your records, renew medications properly, and set up any screening or follow up you need.
- Book an immunization review for each school aged child
Ontario schools require proof of certain vaccines. A doctor can compare your child's record to the Ontario schedule and give any catch up doses.
- Learn the four doors and save two numbers
811 for advice any hour of the day, and our clinic at (905) 215-1815 for appointments and walk-in hours.
Children, school and vaccines
Under Ontario's Immunization of School Pupils Act, every child attending school must have a record on file with the local public health unit showing vaccination against diphtheria, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, meningococcal disease and whooping cough, plus chickenpox for children born in 2010 or later. Parents can apply for a medical or conscience exemption, but without a record or an exemption the health unit can eventually suspend a child from school.
The important detail for newcomers is that you report to public health, not to the school. In Oshawa that is the Durham Region Health Department, which accepts records online. Vaccines given in another country count as long as they match the Ontario schedule, so bring your child's record, sometimes called a yellow card or a vaccination book, to a doctor who can review it and fill any gaps. We do this at the clinic regularly, and our physicians can also provide routine childhood vaccines that are due.
Fall is also when Ontario's free flu shot program begins. Children under two must get their flu shot from a doctor or a public health clinic rather than a pharmacy, and we see them.
Medications and the pharmacy
A prescription written in another country cannot be filled in Ontario. Bring the medication and its packaging to your first appointment and a physician here can assess you and write a new prescription. This is also a good moment to check whether a lower cost generic is available and whether you qualify for any provincial drug program.
Oshawa People Pharmacy is inside our clinic, so you can be seen and fill your prescription in a single visit. The pharmacists can also give many routine vaccines, answer questions about how to take a medication, and assess minor conditions without an appointment.
Your first visit with us
We know a first medical visit in a new country can feel uncertain, so here is exactly what to expect. Bring your health card or ServiceOntario confirmation document, a piece of photo identification, a list of medications you take, and any records you have. If you would like, download and complete our new patient registration form ahead of time. It saves about ten minutes at the front desk.
Arabic is spoken at the clinic. You are welcome to bring a family member or friend to help interpret, and you can tell us your preferred language when you book. You can also choose a male or female physician. We are open Monday to Friday from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM and Saturday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at 115 Simcoe Street South, with free parking on site.
ملخص بالعربية
بطاقة الصحة (OHIP): إذا كنت مقيماً دائماً، أو تحمل تصريح عمل مؤهلاً، أو لاجئاً معترفاً به، فأنت على الأرجح مؤهل للتأمين الصحي الحكومي في أونتاريو. لم تعد هناك فترة انتظار لثلاثة أشهر، وتبدأ التغطية فور الموافقة على طلبك. قدّم الطلب شخصياً في أحد مراكز ServiceOntario ومعك ثلاث وثائق أصلية: إثبات وضعك في كندا، وإثبات سكنك في أونتاريو، وإثبات هويتك. تصل البطاقة بالبريد خلال أربعة إلى ستة أسابيع، واحتفظ بإيصال الطلب لاستخدامه في العيادات حتى وصولها.
ماذا يغطي التأمين؟ زيارات الطبيب، والمستشفى، والتحاليل المخبرية، والتصوير الطبي مثل الألتراساوند. لا يغطي التأمين عادةً الأدوية الموصوفة للبالغين بين 25 و64 عاماً، ولا علاج الأسنان، ولا النظارات.
عند المرض: الصيدلي يعالج حالات بسيطة ومحددة، وعيادة الدخول بدون موعد تناسب المشكلات الجديدة التي تحتاج إلى فحص أو وصفة أو تحويل، والخط الصحي 811 يقدّم ممرضاً مسجلاً على الهاتف مجاناً على مدار الساعة مع خدمة ترجمة بالعربية، وقسم الطوارئ للحالات الخطيرة. في الحالات الطارئة اتصل بالرقم 911.
طبيب العائلة: سجّل في برنامج Health Care Connect عبر الإنترنت أو على الرقم 1-800-445-1822، وفي الوقت نفسه سجّل في عيادة تستقبل مرضى جدداً. عيادة سيمكو الطبية تستقبل مرضى جدداً من جميع الأعمار.
الأطفال والمدرسة: تشترط مدارس أونتاريو سجل تطعيمات لكل طفل، ويُرسل السجل إلى دائرة الصحة في منطقة دورهام وليس إلى المدرسة. أحضر دفتر تطعيمات طفلك من بلدك ليراجعه الطبيب ويستكمل أي جرعات ناقصة.
عيادتنا: 115 شارع سيمكو الجنوبي، أوشاوا. الهاتف (905) 215-1815. مفتوحة من الاثنين إلى الجمعة من 9 صباحاً إلى 6 مساءً، والسبت من 10 صباحاً إلى 4 مساءً. نتحدث العربية، ويمكنك اختيار طبيب أو طبيبة عند الحجز، وتوجد صيدلية داخل العيادة ومواقف سيارات مجانية. أحضر بطاقة الصحة أو إيصال الطلب، وهوية تحمل صورة، وقائمة بأدويتك، وسجلات التطعيم لأطفالك.
Common questions
No. Ontario removed the waiting period in 2020 and has not brought it back. If you are eligible, your coverage begins as soon as ServiceOntario approves your application, usually the same day you apply in person.
Yes. Bring the confirmation document ServiceOntario gives you when you apply. It shows your health number and lets us bill OHIP for your visit while you wait for the physical card.
Please call us at (905) 215-1815 before your first visit so we can confirm your coverage details and what we are able to bill. We want to make sure there are no surprises for you at the front desk.
Publicly funded vaccines in Ontario are generally available to residents regardless of health card status, but the rules for the visit itself vary. Call ahead and tell us your situation and we will explain your options.
For most adults between 25 and 64, no. Prescriptions are usually paid through a workplace benefit plan or out of pocket. Ontario pays for many medications for children and youth under 25 without private coverage, for seniors 65 and older, and through the Trillium Drug Program for people with high drug costs relative to their income. Our on-site pharmacy can help you find out which program applies to you.
Yes. You are welcome to bring a family member or friend. Arabic is spoken at the clinic, and Health811 offers interpretation in many languages by phone. Tell us your preferred language when you book.
Yes. Simcoe Medical Clinic has experienced male and female physicians, and you choose when you book online or by phone.
This article is general information for Ontario residents and does not replace medical advice. Eligibility rules, funded programs and start dates can change, and not every location offers every service. Confirm current details at ontario.ca or by calling Health811 at 811. For medical emergencies, call 911 or visit the nearest emergency department.