Quebec is a shortage of physicians, says the Montreal economic Institute

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QMI agency

Thursday, 15 march, 2018 09:23

UPDATE
Thursday, 15 march, 2018 09:26

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Quebec would be fewer doctors than most other developed countries, it is indicated by a new publication from the Montreal economic Institute (MEI).

“The ministry of Health, which has already said the province had around 2000 doctors too, last year announced a reduction in the number of admissions to medicine in order to avoid that in the future graduates find themselves unemployed,” said Patrick Déry, analyst in public policy and author of the publication.

The document, released Thursday by the montreal economic institute, indicates that one Quebecer in five still has no family doctor, and the waiting lists are still an issue.

Quebec would be a 2.8 doctors per 1000 inhabitants, a ratio slightly higher than the canadian average, but lower than that of most developed countries”.

For comparison, the MEI indicates that Australia has 3.5 doctors per 1000 inhabitants, and that if Quebec had as many doctors as Austria, the province would be home to 20,000 more.

“How do you want to improve the accessibility of care when the State makes a ration at the entrance ?”, lamented Mr. Déry, stressing that it would put an end to the quotas of admission into the universities in order to allow all those who have the capacity, to study medicine.

“An increase in the number of physicians would come to fill the lack of manpower in the public network, and would allow private clinics désaffiliées to develop without that they do not deprive the public system of staff,” he added.