United Kingdom, Canada moving to train more physicians

Shortages of doctors there lead to increases in medical students and residents. Is the United States next?

By Jay Greene, AMNews staff. April 16, 2001.

Facing physician shortages that have angered patients, caused delays in surgeries and weeks of backlogs in office appointments, the United Kingdom and Canada are increasing funding to medical schools and residency programs.

The move comes in both countries following years of declining or stagnant enrollment that have contributed to the shortages -- also fueled by physician retirement and immigration to the United States.

Officials of the Canadian Medical Assn. and the British Medical Assn. say more doctors are needed than the increased funding is likely to provide.

"The biggest issue of the day in Canada is shortages of physicians, nurses and technicians," said Peter Barrett, MD, CMA's president.

Here in the United States medical school enrollment has also been decreasing. But officials cannot agree whether there is a physician shortage or a physician surplus, making it nearly impossible to predict the effect a continued drop in medical school enrollment and resident training would have.

The one thing they do agree on, however, is that the federal government shouldn't set the numbers of medical school students or residents as in the United Kingdom.

In Canada -- still recovering from a 15% cut in medical school enrollment in 1992 when medical school funding fell drastically -- first-year enrollment has crept up 12%. The number of resident physicians also has increased 7.6%.

"The government only acted because it became a political issue with patients complaining they couldn't get in to see a doctor, get a surgery or see a specialist, and the shortages began to hit the cities, not just the rural areas," said David Hawkins, MD, executive director of the Assn. of Canadian Medical Colleges. [...]