Whereas British Columbians are facing a critical shortage of primary care physicians in BC communities and unable to provide vital services to residents because BC is not competitive for a number of reasons, such as trained physicians choosing to practice in other provinces where opportunities are more economically attractive, the average gross clinical payments to BC physicians being one of the lowest in Canada and almost 100,000 less than Ontario, and new graduates with substantial student debt accepting positions in other provinces, such as Alberta, where the average physician salary is the highest in the country at 366,000 from billings; And whereas too many highly qualified undergraduates are denied admission to UBCs 288 seat four-year medical degree program where only about 15 of the applicants are accepted compared to Albertas 332 seats for first year medical students in a province with a population 12 smaller than BCs, forcing students to look elsewhere for their medical training, compounded by BC doctors who go abroad to get their medical education and must annually compete with up to 160 graduates from foreign medical schools for the handful of international residency training spots because there is no preferential treatment for BC born applicants who want to set up practices in BC in order to be closer to family and friends: Therefore be it resolved that the communities of British Columbiaa strong and flourishing province, who want BC to be the greatest province in Canada by providing the full, holistic and complete communities that our residents expect and deservework together to open the doors for communities to attract doctors back to BC communities; And be it further resolved that UBCM request that the Province of British Columbia take definitive action to put in place the necessary framework, tools, and incentives to make us competitive with the other provinces and attract physicians back into BC communities.
Ministry of Health Government has taken steps to prepare future doctors for the challenges and benefits of medical practice in a variety of communities, including rural, remote, northern and underserved communities. Priority in physician training has reflected a preference for generalist specialties to ensure a 6040 split between generalists and specialists. Generalists include the areas of Family Medicine, General Surgery, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics and Psychiatry. This aligns with Ministry priorities in primary and community care. As a result of the expansion and distribution of physician training, the total number of entry-level postgraduate medical education PGME or residency positions has increased from 134 in 2003 to 346 in 2017. The number of entry-level residency positions for International Medical Graduates or IMGs physicians who have received some of their training outside of Canada has also increased from six positions in 2003 to 58 in 2016. IMG residency positions include a Return-of-Service ROS agreement which requires them to work in an identified community of need in BC upon completion of residency training for two or three years depending on their speciality. Health Authority Medical Directors and recruiters that are linked to BCs IMG Return of Service Program are connecting with Divisions of Family Practice to help identify high priority communities and practices in need of family physicians. As of 2017, PGME is only now reaching steady state with 346 entry-level positions offered annually.1 As residents move through their training into practice 2-7 years, we will in time begin to realize the outcomes of expansion and distribution. BC has created a streamlined pathway to enable practicing physicians from outside of Canada to gain licensure. The Practice Ready Assessment BC PRA-BC program is funded by the Ministry of Health and Doctors of BC and has enabled 73 family physicians to establish practices in rural and remote communities throughout BC. PRA-BC physicians are required to commit to the community for three years. The Joint Standing Committee on Rural Issues a collaborative committee of the Ministry of Health and Doctors of BC funds over 130 million in programs and incentives to attract and retain physicians to rural and remote communities throughout BC. This includes one-time incentive payments, ongoing payments to encourage doctors to provide emergency room coverage and subsidies to enable physicians to provide outreach practice to remote communities. More information can be found in the booklet Rural Programs: https:www.doctorsofbc.casitesdefaultfilesruralguide.pdf Canadian Institute for Health Information CIHI data does indicate that family physicians earn more in some provinces. However, British Columbia continues to be an attractive place for family physicians to practice. BC routinely attracts more family physicians than it loses; CIHI data indicates that in 2016, BC saw a net gain of 149 family physicians. BC also has the highest ratio of family physicians to population in the country: 130 family physicians per 100,000 people, well above the Canadian average of 116. The Ministry will continue to monitor physician recruitment and retention initiatives. 1 Canadian Resident Matching Service. 2017 R-1 Main Residency Match Report. Accessed September 15, 2017. http:carms.cawp-contentuploads2017052017-R-1-match-report-full-EN.pdf