There are more practising doctors in Canada than ever before, with nearly 70,000 physicians working in the country last year, a new report finds.
As well the growth in doctors is outpacing the growth of the population as a whole.
The report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information reveals that while the physician population in Canada increased by 2.3 per cent between 2009 and 2010, the Canadian population as a whole grew by only 1.1 per cent.
The growth in the number of doctors in Canada has consistently outpaced population growth over the last five years, CIHI says. In 1980, there were 151 active physicians per 100,000 Canadians; in 2006, there were 190; and in 2010, there were 203.
Although we now have more physicians than ever in Canada, Michael Hunt, CIHI's Director of Pharmaceuticals and Health Workforce Information Services points out that the numbers alone do not tell the whole story.
"The demand for physician services depends on a number of factors, including the health care needs of Canadians, the way care is organized, the number of hours doctors are working and the scope of practice of other health professionals," he said in a statement.
In 2010, Canadian faculties of medicine awarded a record number of medical degrees: 2,448. That's an increase of 55 per cent over 2000.
In the past five years, the number of Canadian-trained physicians increased by 9.5 per cent, while the number of international medical graduates increased by 18 per cent. That added more than 2,500 physicians to the Canadian supply.
The report also revealed that fewer physicians are migrating both within Canada and out of the country. Physician migration out of Canada decreased by 16 per cent between 2006 and 2010. In total, 173 doctors left for another country while 202 doctors returned.
CIHI also reports that the average family doctor grossed $239,000 in 2010, while the average specialist's gross income was $341,000. Between 2005 and 2010, average payments to doctors increased by 21.5 per cent, or about four per cent a year on average.
Some of that income goes toward covering doctors' overhead, such as office expenses, staff salaries and other costs.
The figures are also an average of what doctors earned in fee-for-service payments. That that makes up only about 75 per cent of the payments awarded to doctors in Canada. Doctors also receive payments through family health networks and through salaries in certain hospital settings, a swell as by other means.
