Designation of communities as underserviced is an ongoing self-assessment process, wherein communities identify themselves to the ministry as being in need of recruitment and retention assistance.

The UAP designates communities as underserviced when specific criteria are met. Factors considered include  :

• Long-standing and unresolved difficulties recruiting and retaining physicians,
• health care professional data (how many serve the community),
• population and physician-to-population ratios,
• previous recruitment efforts,
• local demand for services,
• additional health service needs and resources,
• support of local health care professionals,

Communities across the province may be designated for General/Family Practitioners (GP/FPs) if they are experiencing a severe shortage of physicians. However, only northern communities may be designated as underserviced for specialists. Northern Ontario is defined as the territorial districts of Algoma, Cochrane, Kenora, Manitoulin, Nipissing, Parry Sound, Rainy River, Sudbury, Thunder Bay and Timiskaming. For information on GP/FP or specialist designation, please refer to program-specific guidelines.

Once a community has been designated as underserviced, practice opportunities are displayed on a List of Areas Designated as Underserviced (LADAU). LADAUs are distributed to health professionals who are interested in exploring practice opportunities.

To view the most recent designated areas, please click :  LADAU for GP/FP,   LADAU for Specialists and LADAU for Rehabilitation Professionals.

Health professionals relocating to underserviced areas may be eligible for a number of UAP programs, which may include the following :