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Quebec has added 280 doctors to its health-care network over the past year, according to the latest data from the province’s professional order of physicians.
There were 26,001 registered physicians across the province as of Dec. 31, the Collège des médecins said Thursday morning. Forty-seven per cent of them were family physicians and 51.4 per cent specialists, while about 1.5 per cent held a permit issued under the province’s agreement with France.
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The data also shows that around 100 more physicians than in 2022 are inactive — because they’re on sick leave, sabbatical, parental leave, have retired or are temporarily away from Quebec for specialized training. In total, 11.9 per cent of physicians were inactive in 2023.
Virtually every region of Quebec has made gains. Montreal leads the way, with 33 new family doctors and 63 specialists, followed by Quebec City with 38 new doctors and the Laurentians, with 29.
Some 457 physicians are practicing outside Quebec, unchanged from late 2022.
Four regions lost family doctors in 2023, led by Lanaudière, which lost eight. Four family doctors left Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Saguenay—Lac-St-Jean lost three and Centre-du-Québec two.
There are slightly more women in the profession; they represent 55 per cent of active physicians. This trend is set to continue, as 56 per cent of resident physicians are women. The proportion rises to 66 per cent among medical students.
Presse Canadienne’s health content is funded through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. Presse Canadienne is solely responsible for editorial choices.
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