The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons has announced that Canada will be short of between 5,800 and 10,400 doctors by 1020, causing major concern and being labelled ‘the biggest issue affecting Canadian healthcare today’.

As well as actively encouraging Canadians to enrol in medical school, the Canada’s government is relying heavily on importing foreign expertise through immigration; something which it hopes will ease the crippling shortage of trained medics country-wide.

Towns and cities throughout Canada are “crying out for doctors” according to Dr Andrew Padmos of the RCPS, who also drew attention to the multitude of positions available for medical research at Canadian universities.

In 2006, the province of Ontario licensed 2,961 doctors, 42 per cent of whom were foreign trained. A scheme is also underway in Alberta, which allows doctors from foreign countries to train under to supervision of Canadian doctors in order to achieve their licence, however, the country is still in drastic need of medical skills from overseas.