British Columbia does not have enough physicians to minister to all 
those who need medical care. Therefore, it is critically important that 
British Columbia create an environment that attracts and retains the 
number and mix of physicians to meet present and future population needs.

BC requires more than 400 new physicians each year to replace those retiring, moving to other jurisdictions, or reducing the time spent practicing. This number is required to maintain current levels of supply: even more are required as our population and medical requirements increase.

There are currently 8,453 practicing physicians in BC. Of these, 4,684 are general practitioners and 3,769 are specialists.

Some of the issues British Columbia is facing are outlined below.

An aging medical profession
Just as British Columbia’s population is aging, so too are its physicians and surgeons. According to statistics from the Canadian Institute of Health Information (CIHI), the average age of doctors in 2001 was:

This means a high percentage of our doctors are now planning for retirement.

Not enough medical graduates
A study by the Association of Canadian Medical Colleges shows that B.C. has only 3.2 medical school spaces per 100,000 people, the lowest of any province. By comparison, Alberta and Quebec each have 6.7 spaces, Saskatchewan has 5.8, and Ontario has five. 

Although the provincial government has announced funding to double medical school spaces by 2010, the results will not be seen for many years and will still remain far short of our requirements.

Expansion of UBC Medical School

As can be seen from the above chart, the next increment of students (200) to UBC’s Medical School will occur in September 2004. These students will graduate in the spring of 2008. As can be see from the chart below, they will then go through another two to six years (and sometimes more) of post-graduate training, depending on their chosen specialty. 

Examples of Length of UBC Training Programs (Years)

A paediatric student entering medical school in September 2004 will not be ready to set up his/her practice until 2012, a general surgeon will begin practicing in 2014, and a family physician will have to wait until 2010. Unfortunately, fewer and fewer medical students (less than 26% in 2003) are choosing family practice as their chosen specialty. 

Increasing feminization of workforce 
Female doctors, as in other careers, historically work fewer hours than their male counterparts in order to take care of families. As more women enter the profession, there is a net decrease in the total hours of practise. 

Average Hours Worked per Week by Gender, Canada, 2002

BC is a net importer of physicians

BC historically trains just over one quarter of its physicians, relying upon the recruitment of physicians from other provinces and countries.

Every year, we lose hundreds of doctors as a result of retirement, death or relocation out of BC.

Fee-for-Service physicians leaving practice in BC.

BC needs, on average, 400 new doctors each year just to maintain the status quo. We will need even more to help rectify the physician shortage in this province.

Competition for trained doctors
We’re not alone in efforts to recruit physicians 

• Based on 1999/2000 statistics, Alberta needs an additional 1,329 physicians by 2004/05 (Alberta's Physician Resource Planning Committee) 

• Ontario needs an additional 1,300 physicians by 2010 (Ontario's Expert Panel on Health Professional Human Resources) 

• By 2000, 10,717 Canadian physicians had chosen to practice in the United States (American Medical Association).