According to data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information Canada spent roughly $330 billion in 2022. To put it terms we can more easily understand about $8,563 per Canadian - that’s a alot!

According to the latest national survey released by OurCre.ca in April 2023 the number is estimated to be 6.5 million. Previous media reports from the CBC and CTV news networks reported the number to be 6 million.

At the beginning of 2023 is was estimated that at least 645,000 Canadians were waiting for surgery.

Canada has a doctor shortage due to several factors. Limited residency spots, a lack of professionals to evaluate prospective physicians, and funding shortfalls have created a chain of bottlenecks. Additionally, the number of doctors per capita in Canada is significantly lower than in other major economies, such as France and Germany.

Addressing this issue requires more than just recruiting more individuals to study medicine. It involves expanding the capacity of hospital and university networks, increasing residency spaces, and streamlining credential recognition for internationally trained physicians. Some provinces have already taken steps to alleviate the shortages. For instance, Ontario is making it easier for out-of-province physicians to practice temporarily, while British Columbia is increasing family doctors' earnings.

To reduce its doctor shortage, Canada can take several measures:

Expand capacity: Canada needs to expand the capacity of hospital and university networks to accommodate more medical students and residents. This would involve increasing the number of residency spots available and providing adequate funding for medical education.

Streamline credential recognition: Canada should streamline the process of recognizing credentials for internationally-trained physicians. By simplifying and expediting the credential recognition process, more qualified foreign-trained doctors can be integrated into the healthcare system.

Recruit more individuals: While recruiting more individuals to study medicine is not the sole solution, it is still an important aspect. Canada should actively recruit and encourage more individuals to pursue medical education to increase the number of doctors in the country.

Support primary care access: Access to primary care is crucial for the functioning of Canada's universal healthcare system. Provincial governments can explore innovative ways to provide access to primary care for Canadians. For example, expanding the scope of practice for pharmacists to assess and prescribe medications for minor illnesses and injuries, as done in Ontario, Alberta, and Nova Scotia.

Address data gaps: Accurate and comprehensive data on the number of doctors providing healthcare services in Canada is essential. By addressing the lack of reliable data, proactive measures can be taken to better understand and address physician supply accurately.

By implementing these measures, Canada can work towards reducing its doctor shortage and ensuring better access to healthcare for its population.

As of September 2023 there are 17 medical schools with 3 more scheduled to open in 2025 and 2026 in Ontario, BC and PEI. For more information place this URL in your brownser: https://www.schoolfinder.com/Discover/Article/27/6407/Canadas-Getting-3-New-Medical-Schools

Collaborative clinics, also known as Family Health Teams in Ontario, are medical facilities where groups of family physicians and allied healthcare professionals work together. These clinics are provincially operated and aim to provide a supportive and professional work environment for family physicians. In Newfoundland, collaborative clinics are facilities owned and operated by the province, and family physicians are hired by the province to work at these facilities, similar to working at a hospital. Collaborative clinics eliminate the financial risks and administrative burdens of running a private practice, making them an attractive alternative for new medical graduates considering family practice. While collaborative clinics are not perfect, they can address many concerns that new medical graduates have about entering family practice upon graduation.

According to the Canadian Medical Association, the percentage of women entering medical school in Canada has been steadily increasing. In 1985, 44% of the enrolled class were women, and by 2003, it had risen to 49.6%. As of now, the number of women entering medical school is 58% and still rising. Therefore, it can be inferred that there are more women entering medical school today compared to men. You go girls!

The Institute of Medicine defines high-quality healthcare as safe, timely, effective, efficient, equitable, and patient-centered. Based on this definition it is clear to see that Canada has areas where improvement is necessary.

Canada does well on issues of safety and effectiveness but certainly needs much improvement on timeliness and equitability especially for those Canadians living in rural and remote areas.

The most important area for improvement is timely access to primary care. To achieve this will be difficult, but any improvement to Canada’s healthcare system must start with better access to primary care - how to accomplish this is still a work in progress.

It is unlikely significant improvement to Canada’s healthcare system will occur unless the following improvements are made:

*Better use of Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and the many benefits EMRs can unlock.

*Having governments at ALL levels articulate a roadmap for improvement that can be measured and evaluated annually. Having ‘one-of’ announcements does not allow Canadians to see the ‘big picture’ of where our healthcare systems(s) are headed.

*Involving healthcare professionals early on in the process of healthcare improvements - not just politicians or administrators.

For a more complete understanding of how Canada’s healthcare system be improved paste this URL into your browser for a link to the Canadian Medical Association’s paper on Improving the Quality of Healthcare in Canada. https://www.cmaj.ca/content/190/39/E1162