Just as I was about to send myself to medical school and save the day I heard that the amount of doctors in Canada is at an all-time high. Now that eight or more years of my time have been freed up, I can share with you the current situation.
In 2006 a CBC news article reported that the doctor shortage would only continue to worsen unless changes were made. Already facing a shortage, the number of doctors per capita was expected to decline. Over 1.2 million Canadians were unable to find a regular physician in 2003, and since 1993 provincial governments have reduced enrollments in medical schools and post-graduate training programs.
The report stated that qualified Canadian students need to be able to get the training and education they require, and I couldn't agree more. In 2007, the University of Saskatchewan medical school was admitting only 84 students, though the numbers were expected to increase to admit 100 students annually. Many students who are qualified to study medicine aren't able to receive the education required because admissions are highly competitive.
While I agree that it should be a highly selective process when admitting students to medical school, as these students may be our future physicians, it appears that many students who would succeed in a medical profession are not getting accepted.
Some students may have to apply to medical school as many as three, four, or more times before being admitted. The lengthy process may deter potential candidates from sticking it out, and instead they may opt for a different career path to save another few years in school.
I understand that medical students should be given upmost attention and a focused education, and that too many students and too few teachers could lead to a less than optimal education, but I believe there is still allowance for an increase in enrollments, and many reports agree. Numerous news articles on the issue of the Canadian doctor shortage have concluded that an increase in medical school enrollments will benefit Canada, and the benefits are already showing.
The medical school at the University of B.C. admitted only 128 students. By 2007 the number of students admitted was up to 256, and the plan was to bring in even more students by this year, reported a CBC news article. As the enrollments in medical increases so does the number of practicing physicians.
There was an eight percent increase in the number of practicing physicians between 2004 and 2008, the number of practicing physicians jumped from 60, 612 physicians to 65,440. More recently, Canada saw nearly 70, 000 active physicians working within the last year. The number of doctors has increased at twice the rate as the population has grown; yet more work is still required to help with Canada's doctor shortage.
A recent CBC health article, published this December, stated that the number of doctors in Canada is at an all-time high and on rising. Canada has seen an 87.1% increase in the number of doctors in our country since 1980. Also on the rise is the number of female physicians in Canada. The number of female physicians continues to increase. Female physicians increased by 3.9% between 2009 and 2010, whereas the number of male physicians increased by 1.4%. Currently 36.1% of Canadian doctors are female.
The government is also adding incentives for high school graduates to pursue a career in the medical field. The Saskatchewan government made promises to help new high school students with tuition, to forgive up to $200, 000 in loans for new doctors and $20, 000 in loans for nurse and nurse practioners who work in rural communities where doctors and nurses are needed for five years.
The focus on having Canadian students enroll in medical school is crucial not only for our country, but in order to help preserve the number of doctors available in foreign countries. A 2005 study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that by relying on foreign-trained doctors in developed-countries, the supply of physicians in lower-income countries such as South Africa and India is being negatively affected.
While the doctor shortage is certainly a serious problem, focus needs to be placed on Canadian recruitment and increasing enrollment in Canadian medical schools so that we can better aid our country in healthcare, and not cause shortages in foreign countries by recruiting foreign doctors. Compared to lower-income countries, the medical benefits Canadians are able to receive are fortunate, and we are lucky to finally see improvements in the shortage. Hopefully Canada continues to improve its medical care and the number of physicians available, while also helping other countries by enrolling our own doctors.
