[Mark]

She said the problem was a shortage of doctors.

Another problem with their system. They all flee to the U.S.! Follow the money.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

Part of the shortage is due to doctors fleeing to the U.S. for various reasons (not only money -- some are just frustrated with the system here).

Mainly, the shortage is the result of a deliberate strategy to create the shortage. In the 1990's all Canadian governments (provincial and federal) restricted the number of places in medical schools. The official rationale was: "doctors create demand for health care". In other words, the strategy was to ration health care on the "supply side", by reducing the number of doctors.

The shortage was even greater than planned, because of the emmigration of doctors -- and because of an increased number of new female doctors. (On average, women doctors do not work as many hours per week, plus they take time off for childbirth, etc. -- meaning that it takes about 3 female doctors to provide the services of 2 male doctors.) Governments thought (correctly, for the most part) that the masses wouldn't catch on.

Medicare supporters go so far as to say that private sector services have to be outlawed -- because they would siphon off scarce doctors from the public system -- even though there would never have been a shortage, if market forces had been allowed to prevail.

Recently, new medical schools have been created; and enrollment is up -- but, it will be years before the gap is filled.