Canada’s family doctor shortage—an estimated 23,000 physicians—requires urgent action, with Canada’s postsecondary sector poised to play a key role, writes Queen’s University Professor of Medicine Anthony Sanfilippo. Drawing on his professional experience, Sanfilippo highlights seven potential remedies to the doctor shortage, including: expanding medical school admissions, partnering with international institutions to train willing Canadians, and reforming Canadian medical school admissions and training to better align with primary care needs. “It’s time to develop and empower a multi-disciplinary, pan-Canadian panel to decide which mix of the options will build the reliable, sustainable physician workforce that Canada needs and deserves,” Sanfilippo concludes.
