Quebec adds 280 doctors, but 4 regions lose family physicians

Electrophysiologist Dr. Alexios Hadjis, left, performs a ventricular tachycardia ablation at Sacre-Coeur Hospital, Wednesday, July 26, 2023 in Montreal. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz)

Quebec is continuing to expand its medical workforce, with 280 more doctors added to its health care network over the past year, according to the latest data from the Collège des médecins (CMQ) published Thursday morning.

As of Dec. 31, 2023, there were 26,001 registered physicians across the province.

Of these, 47 per cent are family physicians and 51.4 per cent are specialists.

Approximately 1.5 per cent hold a permit issued under the Quebec-France agreement.

The data also show that around a hundred more physicians than in 2022 are inactive, i.e. on sick leave, sabbatical, parental leave, retired or temporarily away from Quebec for specialized training.

In total, 11.9 per cent of physicians were inactive in 2023.

Almost every region of Quebec has made gains, with Montreal leading the way with 33 new family doctors and 63 specialists.

Quebec City was second with 38 new doctors, followed by the Laurentians with 29.

The number of physicians practising outside Quebec remained stable at 457.

Four regions lost family doctors in 2023.

Lanaudière lost the most, with eight fewer physicians.

Four family doctors left Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean lost three and Centre-du-Québec lost two.

On the other hand, women are still slightly more numerous in the profession, representing 55 per cent of active physicians.

This trend is set to continue as 56 per cent of resident physicians are women, and they account for 66 per cent of medical students.

CMQ data also show that the vast majority (85.7 per cent) of physicians are graduates of Quebec universities, with a small portion (3.6 per cent) coming from elsewhere in Canada and 0.4 per cent from the United States.

Approximately one physician in ten is a graduate of another country.

-- The Canadian Press health content is funded through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. The Canadian Press is solely responsible for editorial choices.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Feb. 15, 2024.