More doctors working in city, province
By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on July 18, 2024.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com
The latest quarterly report from the Alberta College of Physicians and Surgeons show the number of physicians in Lethbridge has grown by 27 in the last year.
There are now 306 physicians in the physicians here, up from 279 a year ago, an increase of 9.7 per cent. Three of those have come in the past three months.
The province as a whole has gained 496 doctors with 11,756 now practising in Alberta. That is the highest number ever in Alberta and is a 4.43 per cent change year-over-year. In the past three months, 124 doctors have moved to Alberta.
Medicine Hat, meanwhile, has seen eight doctors move to the city in the past year with 186 now working there. Red Deer gained 37 in the last year, an 11.5 per cent increase.
Of Alberta doctors, 6,070 are specialists in non-family medicine while 4,435 are specialists in family medicine. Another 1,251 are non-specialists. Of those doctors, 7,573 are graduates from a Canadian medical school, 89 are from the U.S. and 4,094 are from elsewhere.
In the South Zone, there are 505 specialists working and 102 non-specialists for a total of 607. That is a 5.4 per cent increase from 576 last year.
Provincial health minister Adriana LaGrange in a media statement said a strategy introduced in 2023 aimed at retaining and recruiting health care workers is working.
“I’m pleased to see that, according to the latest quarterly statistics from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta, our strategy is producing results: the number of physicians in Alberta has increased by almost 500 from the second quarter of 2023. This is an increase of 4.4 per cent from the same time period last year, and is the highest growth rate in the second quarter over the last decade. This means Alberta is now home to 11,756 physicians, the most we have ever had,” said LaGrange.
“At a time when rural Albertans are experiencing difficulty in accessing physician care, I am especially pleased to see significant year-over-year growth in the number of practising physicians in rural Alberta. The Central Zone had the fastest growth, with an increase of 59 physicians from the same period last year, for a 7.5 per cent increase, followed by the South Zone, with an increase of 31 physicians, a 5.4 per cent increase,” said the minister.
“This increase is incredibly positive, but we’re not stopping our efforts to attract more physicians. As part of the Health Workforce Strategy, we are working to increase the number of spaces in our province’s medical schools, residency positions and training opportunities for international medical graduates.”
The minister added the government is also working with the Alberta Medical Association to finalize the family physician compensation model which is aimed at encouraging more doctors to practice here.
“When it’s fully implemented, we expect it will make Alberta a national leader in recruiting and retaining primary care physicians,” said LaGrange.
“We are also working with Alberta Health Services, health care providers and communities all over the province to strengthen our health care system so it can properly support our physicians and overall health care workforce.”
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Can someone explain if Lethbridge has 27 more doctors why do I read that no doctors are yet accepting new patients? My wife’s doctor is leaving at the end of August and cannot find a replacement. George