The gender gap in Canadian health care

Kirsteen Burton and Ian Wong, in their article on the physician workforce in Canada,1 state that “Compared with men, women work fewer hours per week, see fewer patients (and provide fewer services), [and] are likely to leave the medical profession sooner.” Additional detail on these points would be helpful in determining the extent of the problem. Specifically, how many fewer hours are worked by female physicians each week, and how many fewer patients do they see? Also, how many years earlier do female physicians retire? Given that the number of doctors in the country is declining, these differences represent a serious issue.

Is it wise for taxpayers to fund training for a large group of future part-time doctors, when there is already a shortage of doctors in the country? In their selection process, do medical schools screen on the basis of applicants' plans to work part-time or full-time? If not, perhaps they should.

M. Herzog Physician Toronto, Ont.