The growing population of over five million people over the past decade has only seen Canada add 167 medical residencies, making it increasingly difficult for many Canadians to access family doctors, according to a late-January story by CBC News. In fact, more than 6.5 million Canadians do not have regular access to a family doctor.
The population growth, combined with multiple factors working against the availability of family doctors nationwide, has brought notable consequences for Canadians. Governments at both the federal and provincial/territorial levels are attempting to rectify this by increasing the immigration of qualified healthcare professionals.
Additionally, despite immigrants comprising one out of every four healthcare sector workers in Canada, international medical graduates (IMGs) often struggle to obtain medical residencies due to quotas. This creates an issue for Canada’s healthcare system, as it is not producing enough homegrown primary care doctors to keep up with the country’s health needs.
Canada is also addressing issues faced by IMGs by investing in foreign credential recognition. This involves funding to increase capacity for foreign credential recognition for approximately 6600 internationally educated health professionals to ensure they receive proper recognition for their international credentials.
Other reasons for the lack of family doctors include a declining interest in family medicine among Canadian medical graduates and minimal growth in medical residencies. However, more steps are being taken to address this gap through investments in foreign credential recognition and expanding medical school capacity in provinces.
Category-based Express Entry draws have been introduced to attract more foreign nationals with experience in key employment sectors, with healthcare being one of the five occupational categories being prioritized by IRCC. Medical schools in Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and British Columbia are taking steps to add more spaces for medical training or to establish new medical schools.
Overall, Canada is making strides to address the obstacles faced by both Canadians and foreign-trained healthcare professionals in the country. If you are interested in the Canada’s healthcare industry, you can read more about it by following the provided link.
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