TORONTO — More than one in 10 physicians working in this country (Canada) are aged 65 or older, and about a third of those continue to work full time, a recently released report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI).

The report is based on 2009 figures but still valid. It was released Thursday, and found about 12 per cent of Canada’s roughly 68,000 doctors — or almost 7,900 — were at least 65, which is up from nine per cent five years earlier. Those that fall in that age bracket and were no longer practicing full time were still carrying a 40 per cent workload on average.

This is a great report revealing the need for a complete re-thinking of licensure policy in Canada. As it applies to IMG’s, we all want highly skilled physicians, and there are many skilled physicians who wish to come to Canada. The gap needs to be made smaller and it can be achieved b IMG’s in the United States and around the world who wish to come to Canada. For a complete review of the article, please click here.