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Health Canada released a report this week looking at the shortage of health care professionals and examining current levels of training. The findings of the report are a wake-up call to provincial and federal governments.

WHY IT MATTERS: The report confirms a significant shortage, or gap, in physicians and other health professionals. After examining current training levels, the authors conclude that ​“if no action is taken, [it] will worsen over ten years.” The gaps are biggest in rural and northern communities and the report notes the unique challenges of building the Indigenous workforce.

• Canada produces 7.5 new doctors per 100,000 people, about half the average for other wealthy (OECD) nations, which produce 14.2 new grads per 100,000.

• When it comes to family doctors, the report estimates a shortage of 22,823 across Canada, and notes there are only 1,362 graduates per year.

The CMA analyzed the report and concluded ​“at this rate, Canada will never solve the existing physician shortage.” The Health Canada study recommended that ​“health professional education and training capacity must increase now.”

WORTH NOTING: This report reinforces why Doctors Manitoba has advocated for short and long-term actions to tackle the physician shortage. This work has been guided by physician feedback, which has consistently ranked the physician shortage as a top concern.

• We, and many partners, pushed hard for a training expansion and the government approved 30 more seats. This brings our training capacity up to 9.3 per 100,000, which is a big improvement but still far behind the OECD average of 14.2.

• We advocated for an expansion of the IMG licensure program, which increased from 25 to 35 seats. 

• We negotiated new funding models for physicians that are helping keep Manitoba competitive and support the care physicians want and need to provide to their patients.

WHAT’S NEXT: More training will help, but it’s a long-term goal. We have advocated for immediate actions to help now, and you will see us pushing harder for these in the weeks ahead:

• Reducing administrative burdens to free up physician time. Our Task Force delivered some early relief, but we are looking for big changes on sick notes, employer and insurance forms, and better connected electronic systems that save time and confusion on requesting and responding to tests and referrals. 

• Investing in team-based care in physician practices, which has massive potential to improve access to family physicians and other specialists. The Health Canada report recognizes this: ​“If all health professionals are working at the top of their scope of practice within a primary care team, this could significantly increase the potential panel size for a family physician while also reducing their administrative burden.”

• Expanding out-of-province recruitment. We launched a U.S. recruitment campaign late last year to make a point. The health system and government could move faster on out-of-province recruitment, which should include posting progress reports on actual recruits, and doctors in Manitoba could be better supported in their efforts to recruit to their practice groups too.

GO DEEPER: You can learn more from the following resources:

• Canadian Health Workforce Education, Training and Distribution Study (Health Canada Report). 

• Ground-breaking new report reveals Canada can’t train enough doctors and other health professionals. Unless we dramatically change how we do things. (CMA Response to Health Canada Report).

• Doctors Manitoba reports and advocacy on physician shortage.

• Doctors Manitoba +1 Million Visit Plan, submitted to government, advocating for immediate action to add significant access for patients this year.