Northern Ontario still short 460 doctors, local medical school warns

NOSM University says northern Ontario is short 459 physicians and while half of its 1,041 grads have stayed in the north, family doctor gaps persist.

Municipal leaders attending this week’s Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities annual conference in Timmins, Ont., heard northern Ontario remains short nearly 460 physicians.

Dr. Michael Green, president, vice-chancellor, dean, and CEO of NOSM University, addressed attendees during the second day of the conference in Schumacher.

Green said that since the school opened 20 years ago, 1,041 students have graduated, with about half choosing to stay and work in northern Ontario – even so, he said the region still faces a major shortage of physicians.

Rural areas hit hardest by MD shortage

“The family doctor shortage is not evenly distributed,” said Green.

“There’s a bigger need for rural generalist family doctors than in the larger centres.”

Some municipal officials questioned whether enough progress has been made.

Kirkland Lake councillor Lad Shaba said he had hoped NOSM University would help solve the physician shortage, but believes his community is no better off than it was decades ago.

Green acknowledged retaining physicians in the North remains a challenge, particularly when graduates pursue specialties not offered in the north.

“If they’re interested in a specialty that we don’t offer training for in the north, then they’re more likely to go away,” he said.

“They may just want a change. They’re often still young people finishing their training, and they may want to try something else.”

Community integration beats cash incentives

Rick Dumas, mayor of Marathon and president of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association, asked what smaller communities without the resources to hire physician recruiters can do to attract doctors.

“I know there’s a lot of talk around financial incentives,” he said.

“I don’t think those are the best route or the main driver,” said Green.

Instead, Green said communities should focus on helping physicians and their families integrate into the community by assisting spouses with employment opportunities, providing activities for children, and creating a welcoming environment.

“Those are the things that make people want to stay long term,” said Green.

The province is also expanding medical school spaces. Green said NOSM University’s intake is expected to nearly double within the next two years, including in some specialty programs.

However, he cautioned that the impact will not be immediate and it takes between six and ten years to train a physician.