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Who is Ontario’s $6.6-million man?

That was the question on so many lips when Ontario Health Minister Eric Hoskins revealed last week the 506 doctors who billed the province for more than $1 million last year. At the top of that list was an ophthalmologist — eye surgeon — who billed the eye-popping figure, and everyone seemed to presume it was in fact a male doctor.

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They were probably right.

Of the 500 top-billing doctors in Ontario, just 40 — eight per cent — are women, according to data from the ministry of health.

Among the 80 highest-billing ophthalmologists, just five are woman. There are 56 cardiologists, but only one woman. Of the 137 diagnostic radiologists on the list, 17 are women. Of the 13 obstetricians and gynecologists, two are women.

OHIP billings may paint an incomplete picture of doctor compensation, but they offer a snapshot that speaks to a gender divide that lingers in the medical field — and beyond. In Ontario, women still make approximately 73 cents for every dollar a man earns. It’s a gap that persists — and grows for women of colour, those with disabilities, among trans women and other marginalized groups— despite decades of pay equity panels and laws.