{"id":4950,"date":"2024-03-12T17:02:31","date_gmt":"2024-03-12T13:32:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadaii.com\/?p=4950"},"modified":"2024-03-12T17:02:45","modified_gmt":"2024-03-12T13:32:45","slug":"canada-needs-more-immigrant-doctors-to-support-the-national-healthcare-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadaii.com\/en\/canada-needs-more-immigrant-doctors-to-support-the-national-healthcare-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada needs more immigrant doctors to support the national healthcare system\u202f"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">Amidst a population boom of over five million people in the last ten years, Canada has added just 167 medical residencies over the same length of time, making it increasingly difficult for many Canadians to obtain regular access to a family doctor.<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">This is according to a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/politics\/canada-popuation-booming-family-doctor-access-1.7087794\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">late-January story by CBC News<\/a>, which also noted that \u201cmore than 6.5 million Canadians do not have regular access to a family doctor.\u201d<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">The population growth in this country, coinciding with many factors working against the availability of family doctors nationwide, has brought notable consequences for Canadians.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">This is a problem that governments at both the federal and provincial\/territorial levels are attempting to rectify using the increased immigration of qualified healthcare professionals.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Barriers for current International Medical Graduates<\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">According to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/immigration-refugees-citizenship\/campaigns\/immigration-matters\/growing-canada-future\/health.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Government of Canada data<\/a>\u00a0from December 2022, immigrants account for \u201cone out of every four healthcare sector workers\u201d in Canada.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">In fact, further broken down by profession, immigrants make up the following percentage of all healthcare workers in Canada:<\/p>\n<ul dir=\"ltr\">\n<li>23% of registered nurses<\/li>\n<li>35% of nurse aides and [those in] related occupations<\/li>\n<li>37% of pharmacists<\/li>\n<li>36% of physicians<\/li>\n<li>39% of dentists<\/li>\n<li>54% of dental technologists and [those in] related occupations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Despite this,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/politics\/canada-popuation-booming-family-doctor-access-1.7087794\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according to CBC News<\/a>, foreign nationals who are trained as doctors in other countries \u2013 otherwise known as International Medical Graduates (IMGs) \u2013 often struggle, with obtaining a medical residency in Canada due to \u201cquotas on how many [IMGs] can get a spot.\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">In addition, IMGs struggle with pursuing medical practice in Canada because the residency system is \u201crun by medical schools that favour their own graduates.\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">According to Dr. Kathleen Ross, the president of the CMA, this creates\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/politics\/canada-popuation-booming-family-doctor-access-1.7087794\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">an issue for Canada\u2019s healthcare system<\/a>\u00a0because \u201cthe country isn&#8217;t producing nearly enough homegrown primary care doctors to keep up with the country&#8217;s health needs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Therefore, while Canada needs foreign-trained doctors to support its Canadian-born workforce in the healthcare industry, IMGs in Canada face unique hurdles that can prevent them from practicing.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Canada is addressing the issues faced by IMGs by investing in foreign credential recognition<\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">In addition to bringing more qualified healthcare professionals to Canada (more on that later),\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.canadavisa.com\/ircc.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada<\/a>\u00a0(IRCC) has committed to addressing the issue by investing in foreign credential recognition.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">A\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/employment-social-development\/news\/2024\/01\/government-helping-6600-internationally-educated-healthcare-professionals-work-in-canada.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">January news release<\/a>\u00a0from\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.canadavisa.com\/esdc.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Employment and Social Development Canada<\/a>\u00a0(ESDC) outlined a plan from the Canadian government that will provide up to $86 million in funding to 15 organizations across Canada.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">According to ESDC, this funding will be actioned to \u201cincrease capacity for [the] foreign credential recognition of approximately 6600 internationally educated health professionals, [supporting] highly educated and skilled immigrants [to ensure they] receive proper recognition for their international credentials.\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>More:<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/employment-social-development\/news\/2024\/01\/government-helping-6600-internationally-educated-healthcare-professionals-work-in-canada.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Click here<\/a>\u00a0for more information on Canada\u2019s investment in foreign credential recognition for the healthcare industry<\/p>\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\">Other reasons why Canada is experiencing a lack of family doctors<\/h3>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Canada is experiencing record-high population growth, including its fastest-paced population growth in any single quarter since 1957 in the third quarter of 2023. However, the availability of family doctors is unable to keep pace for several reasons.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Declining interest in family medicine among medical graduates<\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/politics\/canada-popuation-booming-family-doctor-access-1.7087794\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">January story from CBC News<\/a>\u00a0indicates that there is a declining interest in family medicine among Canadian medical graduates.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">First, according to a Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS)\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.carms.ca\/pdfs\/carms-forum-2023.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">report cited by CBC News<\/a>, the percentage of graduates who \u201cpicked family medicine as their discipline for residency training\u201d has declined by over seven percent in the last nine years. In 2014, 37.8% of graduates chose family medicine, while this number was just 30.3% in 2023.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Furthermore,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/politics\/canada-popuation-booming-family-doctor-access-1.7087794\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">estimates<\/a>\u00a0from the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) suggest that roughly 1,000 more family doctors are \u201cleaving the profession\u201d every year compared to the number of \u201cnew ones coming into the workforce.\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Finally, Canada Health Workforce Network director Ivy Lynn Bourgeault\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/politics\/canada-popuation-booming-family-doctor-access-1.7087794\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">told CBC News<\/a>\u00a0that \u201cmore and more family doctors are obtaining credentials to work in emergency and sports medicine and anesthesiology, for example, which takes them out of the clinic environment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Taken together, these realities indicate a lack of interest in the discipline among Canadians pursuing careers in healthcare, which has created a significant roadblock when it comes to accessing family medicine.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Minimal growth in medical residencies\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">As highlighted earlier,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/politics\/canada-popuation-booming-family-doctor-access-1.7087794\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according to CBC News<\/a>, \u201cCanada&#8217;s medical schools are admitting only 167 more doctors for mandatory postgraduate training than they did 10 years ago.\u201d This is problematic, according to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/occupations.esdc.gc.ca\/sppc-cops\/.4cc.5p.1t.3onsummaryd.2tail@-eng.jsp?tid=105\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">federal data<\/a>\u00a0cited by CBC News, because current population projections suggest Canada will need close to 49,000 additional family doctors by 2031.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Fortunately, some provincial governments are working to rectify this problem by expanding medical school capacity in the coming years. Healthcare is a provincial and territorial responsibility and so they \u201care largely responsible for physician training and licensing.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\">More steps are being taken to address this gap<\/h3>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Beginning at the federal level, in addition to investing in foreign credential recognition, Canada is aiming to bring more foreign-trained doctors into the country through its\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.canadavisa.com\/eecategories.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">category-based Express Entry draws<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Introduced in May 2023, category-based draws are a type of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.canadavisa.com\/express-entry.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Express Entry<\/a>\u00a0draw introduced by IRCC to attract more foreign nationals with experience in key employment sectors across Canada. Healthcare is one of five occupational categories that is being prioritized by IRCC through these draws.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Finally, at the provincial level, medical schools in three provinces are acting to either add more spaces for medical training or establish new medical schools altogether. These commitments have all been outlined in the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/politics\/canada-popuation-booming-family-doctor-access-1.7087794\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">recent article published by CBC News<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Ontario:<\/strong>\u00a0The province has committed to the addition of 449 more \u201cpostgraduate medical training spaces over the next five years.\u201d Of these, 154 spaces \u201care expected to come online later\u201d in 2024 at different medical schools across the province.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Prince Edward Island (PEI):<\/strong>\u00a0The University of PEI will open a new medical school in the fall of 2025.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>British Columbia (BC):<\/strong>\u00a0BC\u2019s Simon Fraser University, has announced its plan to open a new medical school at the university\u2019s Surrey campus in 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Amidst a population boom of over five million people in the last ten years, Canada has added just 167 medical residencies over the same length of<span class=\"excerpt-hellip\"> [\u2026]<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4946,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4950","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadaii.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadaii.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadaii.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadaii.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadaii.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4950"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/canadaii.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4950\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4951,"href":"https:\/\/canadaii.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4950\/revisions\/4951"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadaii.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadaii.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadaii.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadaii.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}