Fraser Institute contends Canada has 20% fewer doctors per capita than OECD, suggests increase in fee-for-service payments

The Fraser Institute’s report warns that if current trends continue, Canada likely won’t close the gap in the coming years either. It finds that in 2015, Canada had 2.7 doctors per 1,000 people – a figure that it says is almost 20% lower than the 3.4 per 1,000 person average for the other OECD countries. The Institute also projects the number of doctors in Canada into future years - assuming current medical school enrolment and foreign-trained doctor trends continue, Canada will have 2.97 doctors per 1,000 people by 2030, still below the 2015 OECD average. The study suggests a number of policy initiatives, such as:

1. Increasing the supply of domestically trained physicians by expanding the seats available for medical school enrollments, and residency positions;
2. Improving the productivity of physicians by stimulating the adoption of new technologies, such as telemedicine; and
3. Increasing fee-for-service payments to physicians to encourage them to work longer hours and to remain in the work force longer.