By Promod Puri

Canada is grappling with a severe shortage of doctors, especially family physicians. Recent estimates suggest the country needs at least 23,000 more to meet its current healthcare demands. With a growing population of 40 million, the gap between patient needs and physician availability is widening rapidly.

Yet, the response from the country’s medical education system has been underwhelming. Canada has only 18 medical schools, collectively producing just about 3,000 new doctors each year. These institutions have not expanded their capacity to accommodate more Canadian students, despite the glaring shortage.

As a result, hundreds of bright Canadian students—many with top grades—find themselves unable to secure a seat in domestic medical programs. Frustrated, they turn to foreign medical schools, particularly in countries like the U.S., where many choose to stay and practice after completing their studies, rather than navigate the complex and restrictive process of returning to Canada.

Adding to the problem is the rigid and highly regulated pathway for foreign-trained doctors seeking to practice in Canada. Licensing barriers, bureaucracy, and limited residency spots effectively keep many out, even when their skills are desperately needed.

The medical faculties and professional bodies in Canada tightly control the pipeline of new doctors. This has contributed to what critics describe as a de facto monopoly, where supply is deliberately constrained in the face of overwhelming demand. The consequences are felt across the healthcare system.

Wait times to see specialists routinely stretch into months, sometimes more than a year. By then, a patient’s condition may have improved, worsened, or in the worst cases, the patient may no longer be around.

In a nation that prides itself on universal healthcare, the doctor shortage has become a systemic failure—one that needs urgent, structural reform.

Promod Puri is a veteran journalist, author and former editor-publisher of South Asian LINK Newspaper. For more info visit promodpuri.com