Canada has 57 803 active MDs: CIHI

The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) reports there were 57 803 active physicians in Canada as of December 2000. Almost 30% were female and more than 5000 doctors (9%) were aged 65 or older. Graduates of foreign medical schools, who comprise 23% of the physician pool, tend to be older than colleagues who were educated in Canada. Only 10% of physicians who graduated within the past 15 years received their undergraduate medical education outside Canada.

The number of physicians within the general population continues to climb slowly from the low of 183/100 000 reached in 1997. It stood at 187/100 000 in 2000; the 1993 total was 191/100 000 population.

Of the 420 active physicians who left Canada in 2000, 61% were certified specialists and 62% graduated fewer than 16 years ago; 256 physicians returned to practise in Canada in 2000, and a significant proportion of them (60%) also received their medical degrees less than 16 years ago. It appears that Canada is now offering physicians a more attractive environment in which to practise compared with most periods during the past decade. The net loss due to emigration in 2000 was 164. This figure is down significantly from the average net loss of more than 400 physicians per year between 1992 and 1997.

However, movement within Canada has not slowed. Each year, approximately 700 active physicians (excluding residents) migrate to another province or territory. In 2000, 247 females and 506 males made such a move, with every province except Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia suffering a net loss.

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