| Fewer Ontario residents have a family
doctor because physicians continue to leave for other provinces for better
pay and working conditions, according to a new report.
The Ontario Medical Association study,
to be released on Thursday, says the physician trend, coupled with the
province's fast-growing population, is making the doctor shortage worse.
According to the latest numbers,
Ontario had 22,141 doctors in 2006, translating into 174 physicians per
100,000 residents.
In 2002, there were 179 doctors per
100,000 residents.
When looking at other provinces,
Ontario ranks way down the list at eighth.
Here's a look at the top four provinces:
-
Nova Scotia has 219 doctors per 100,000
residents;
-
Quebec has 215 doctors;
-
Newfoundland and Labrador has 200; and
-
British Columbia has 199.
-
Ontario is facing another problem --
about 2,500 doctors are 65 years or older, and will soon be retiring.
Physicians across the province are complaining
about an increase in paperwork and a general increase in workload, the
OMA says.
"We know that Ontario doctors are
working very hard and that might be part of the reason that they don't
want to stay here or don't want to come back here," OMA president Dr. Janice
Willett told CTV's Paul Bliss.
Willett praised the Ontario government
for creating more spots at medical schools and holding fairs to lure doctors
to the province.
"We should be doing everything we
can to keep the ones we have and the ones we train," she said.
Original
article available here |
