Managing physician shortages

Abstract

"Canada is rich in information about our physician shortage but poor on concrete progress. We have a wealth of studies on care delivery models and proffered solutions from associations and governments, yet we continue to have a substantial and unmet need for health services in many regions of the country. Internationally, it seems that no country has it right. In the United States, there are calls for a 30% increase in the number of positions in medical schools. In some African countries, there is a dire shortage of physicians,1 yet some European countries have a surplus. Conservative estimates suggest that Canada needs at least 5000 more doctors in active practise. Changing the model of care and increasing the efficiency of the health care system will not be enough to alter this substantial shortfall. Shortages exist across all geographic regions — this is not only a rural problem — and across all disciplines, including family physicians, anesthetists, geriatricians and cancer care specialists."