Red Deer Regional Hospital. (Regional Health Foundation)

By rdnewsNOW Staff

37 NEW PHYSICIANS IN A YEAR

Red Deer sees growth in number of practicing physicians

Jul 17, 2024 | 4:09 PM

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA) has released its report on physician resources in Alberta for the second quarter of 2024, and Red Deer’s number of physicians has been growing.

According to the report, from Q2 in 2023 to the end of Q2 this year, Red Deer saw a net increase of 37 physicians, or 11.5 per cent, bringing the City’s total to 360, from 323.

The numbers include family doctors, other specialists, and non-specialists.

The central Alberta zone as a whole saw increases in both specialist and non-specialist physicians. Specialist numbers rose to 617 from 574 last year. Non-specialists increased to 231 from 215 the previous year. Together, this was an increase of 59 physicians, or 7.5 per cent.

Minister of Health Adriana LaGrange commented on the report’s findings.

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“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,” she said. “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.”

LaGrange added that seeing a positive increase doesn’t mean they will be stopping their recruitment efforts. She said that work is being done, under the Health Workforce Strategy, to increase the numbers of spaces in Alberta’s medical schools, residency positions, and training opportunities for international medical graduates.

“Additionally, work continues with the Alberta Medical Association to finalize the family physician compensation model to encourage more physicians to practise in Alberta. When it’s fully implemented, we expect it will make Alberta a national leader in recruiting and retaining primary care physicians,” she said.

The full report can be accessed here.

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