We must redirect our focus to the positive contribution of the health industry to the economy and we must create a sustainable environment which provides fulfilling opportunities for those working in the health field and accessible quality care for all Canadians. The CMA presentation called for the government to provide infrastructure support to the acute care sector to enable physicians to provide better health care for their patients and to strategically invest in medical research to ensure that Canadians are not forced to leave the country to conduct their work. For medical trainees, the ever increasing tuition fees and the recently announced deregulation of fees in Ontario are compounding an already difficult situation. Students are graduating with significant debt loads and it is not surprising that they increasingly seek work outside of the country allowing them to pay down their debts more quickly. Brain Drain is not confined to physicians.
Doctors represent only one-quarter of the health workers that leave for the U.S. each year.