The federal government has answered years-long calls from doctors and nurses to tally and research the number of health workers in Canada with a $47 million funding announcement.
The money is being divided among research groups that aim to collect and study data on Canada’s health workforce, which has been difficult to gather across provincial health systems.
The largest sum, $22.5 million, is being given to the an arm of the Canadian Institute for Health Information to figure out where gaps are in the workforce.
The government also announced that it would give $13 million to the Medical Council of Canada to expand a national physician database of doctors in Canada.
That registry includes doctors’ credentials, specialties and locations, and the group hopes it will serve as a first step toward making physician credentials portable within Canada.
Doctors and nurses have been urgently calling for federal leadership on the health workforce since the COVID-19 pandemic, when shortages led to long waitlists, emergency room closures and incredible stress for health professionals on the job.