Alberta’s population vs. its medical school intake: health advocates sound alarm

Albertans struggle to find family doctors, but the province's medical schools say they can't add more students without more government funding.

Friends of Medicare is calling on the province to allocate money to train more health-care workers in Alberta’s upcoming budget.

The group is sounding the alarm, saying that while Alberta’s population has boomed in recent years, enrollment at the province’s medical schools has remained stagnant.

From 2015 to 2022, enrollment at the University of Calgary’s and University of Alberta’s medical schools was 312 students in total each year. (The Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary accepted 150 students, while the University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine accepted 162.)

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“Over the past decade, our population has boomed and our per capita spaces have not grown to reflect that,” said Chris Gallaway, executive director for Friends of Medicare.

According to the government’s provincial dashboard, Alberta’s population was 3.87 million on July 1, 2012, and estimates suggest it will grow to more than five million by 2025.

In 2023, both the Cumming School of Medicine and the University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine received additional funding from the provincial government to increase enrollment, each school adding increments of 10 students each year.

For 2025, the University of Calgary is expected to have an enrollment of 180 students and the University of Alberta 192.

Despite this, the Alberta Medical Association (AMA) says it will take years before the fruits of the labour are noticed, because of the length of each program -- The University of Calgary’s medical school is a three-year program, while the University of Alberta’s medical school is a four-year program.

“If we say next year we’re going to train double the number of physicians, we have at least six to 10 or 11 years before that group is out practicing on their own,” said AMA president Shelley Duggan.

“Four years of medical school and then a residency that can be anywhere from two to six years.”

Friends of Medicare wants the province to train more health-care workers.

“We are far behind where we should be. It’s something that could be improved on very quickly, really, if the government prioritizes it in the budget.”

The budget will be announced on Feb. 27.

Calgarian heads abroad for school

Calgarian Saad Alvi ended up enrolling in medical school in Australia after unsuccessfully trying to nab one of the coveted few spots in Alberta in 2021.

“It’s pretty difficult,” Alvi said. “The first time you apply, like often times, you don’t even get waitlisted.”

In 2022, Alvi enrolled in medical school at Monash University in Australia.

His plan is to come back one day to Alberta to practise.

“If we have a shortage of doctors, it would make more sense to educate the students that are already born-and-raised in this province, as opposed to going through the hassle of recruiting from overseas,” Alvi said.

In a statement to CTV News regarding seat numbers at Albertas medical schools, the Ministry of Advanced Education highlighted the $38 million it gave the two schools to create 90 new seats at each institution over four years.

“A key factor influencing the number of physicians who can be trained in Alberta is the availability of clinical placements and residency positions,” the statement said.

“Alberta’s government continues to work closely with the medical schools to better align the number of medical education seats with workforce needs.”