Statement made on 09 February 2011 by Senator Lucie Pépin (retired)
Hon. Lucie Pépin:
Honourable senators, last Monday I received a visit from three McGill University students representing the Canadian Federation of Medical Students. These future physicians are concerned about the lack of socio-economic and geographic diversity in our medical schools. They believe that this situation exacerbates family doctor shortages and physician scarcity in communities that are already underserviced.
Medical schools encourage diversity, but still do not attract enough candidates from rural or low-income backgrounds. Some social and financial obstacles have been cited as the cause of this demographic imbalance.
Students from low-income or rural backgrounds are less likely to consider medicine as a viable career option.
They are also put off by the costs associated with studying medicine. Most medical students are from wealthy families. Almost 47 per cent of medical students report family incomes of more than $100,000. In Canada, only 19.7 per cent of households have this level of income.
The Canadian Federation of Medical Students would like to address the disparity in access to medical studies. The CFMS is asking for government subsidies to cover tuition for students from low-income families. The Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada supports these subsidies, which already exist in the United States and Australia.
It is pertinent to know that students from low-income families are more likely to practice family medicine and to treat disadvantaged patients.
Research also shows that students from rural areas are 2.5 times more likely to practice in rural communities. Given that it may be easier to keep physicians who have grown up in rural areas from moving away, we need more programs that will attract candidates from these areas to medicine.
It is also important to establish mentorship and information programs that would target the socio-economic groups least represented in faculties of medicine. Preparation required to enter a medical school often begins in high school.
Dr. John Wootton is the president of the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada. He says that "if there is two-tier health care in Canada. . .it's urban versus rural." It is a fact that 30 per cent of Canadians living in rural and remote areas have difficulty accessing health care.
The Government of Canada is working with the medical community to increase the number of health care professionals in these areas. However, we must be more innovative and lay the foundation for solutions by creating the conditions for equitable access to medical education.
I hope that, in this quest for solutions, careful consideration will be given to the recommendations from the Canadian Federation of Medical Students.