McMaster to produce more family physicians

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[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/family_med_announcement2.jpg” caption=”Cheryl Levitt, chair of the Department of Family Medicine of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, pins Marie Bountrogianni, Ontario’s minister of citizenship and immigration and minister of youth and children’s services at the announcement of the increase in family medicine residencies. Photo credit: Rob Tatlock”]More family physicians will be trained at the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University.

The Hon. Marie Bountrogianni, Ontario's Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and Minister of Youth and Children's Services, today announced the addition of 22 new first year family medicine residency positions by 2006. Previously, the school had 41 new family medicine residents join the two-year program.

The increase is part of an initiative of the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care to increase the supply of family physicians in Ontario, and improve health care. The ministry today announced a $10 million investment in creating a total of 141 family medicine residency positions by 2006 at the five provincial medical schools.

“Fixing Ontario's health care crisis is a complex, but important task, and I congratulate George Smitherman, the minister of health and long term care, for this important initiative,” said John Kelton, dean of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University and chair of the Council of Ontario Faculties of Medicine. “The provision of funding for more family medicine residents gets to one of the roots of the problem, the number of family physicians available to provide primary care.”

Peter Dent, associate vice-president, clinical services for McMaster's Faculty of Health Sciences, said that traditionally more graduates of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine go into family medicine than the national average. Last year 46 per cent of the McMaster graduates went into family medicine, compared to 33 per cent of medical graduates across Canada.

“We're proud of our ability to produce excellent family physicians,” said Dent.

Cheryl Levitt, chair of the Department of Family Medicine of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster, said it's been proven that an increase in the number of family physicians makes a difference.

“Studies around the world have shown that with more family physicians there is lower mortality and fewer hospitalizations, delayed diagnoses, uncontrolled hypertension and other chronic diseases and, as well, there are lower costs to the patients and the government.

“These additional family physicians are welcome.”

David Price, chief of family medicine for Hamilton Health Sciences, said in his role he constantly receives phone calls from people looking for a family doctor.

“I know first hand that the shortage of family physicians is a very real problem, and this announcement will certainly begin to solve this problem. Hamilton Health Sciences is pleased to be a teaching hospital working in partnership with McMaster University and the Ministry of Health in the training of future family physicians.”