News Archives: Investing in Health Care Across Alberta
Wednesday, April 3rd, 2024
Alberta’s government is investing $224.8 million in Budget 2024 to help solve the shortage of physicians in rural areas.
Alberta is currently facing a shortage of physicians across the province, disproportionally affecting Albertans in rural areas. Because students who learn in rural communities are more likely to work in rural communities, Alberta’s government is working with post-secondary institutions to train more physicians in rural areas.
“Albertans deserve access to timely medical care in every corner of our province. The new training centres in Lethbridge and Grande Prairie is the first of many steps to solve the rural physician shortage. Advanced Education is committed to increasing support for Alberta’s medical schools, along with significant support to encouraging more physicians to live and practice in rural settings.”
Rajan Sawhney, Minister of Advanced Education
With support from Alberta’s government, the University of Alberta, University of Calgary, University of Lethbridge, and Northwestern Polytechnic are working together to develop new Rural Medical Education Program Training Centres (RMEPTCs) in Lethbridge and Grande Prairie. The University of Calgary will partner with the University of Lethbridge to develop the new training centre in Lethbridge, and the University of Alberta will partner with Northwestern Polytechnic to develop the new training centre in Grande Prairie.
Both training centres will deliver an entire undergraduate medical education program and deliver hands-on learning experiences in rural communities surrounding the training centres. Students will train alongside other health professionals, gaining practical medical experience while serving rural patients.
Once up and running, the training centres will provide primary care in Lethbridge and Grande Prairie, with each general practitioner in the teaching clinic caring for approximately 1,200 patients. These clinics will also operate after regular hours to reduce congestion in local emergency departments, adding much needed primary care capacity for Albertans.
Budget 2024 investments would be used for both capital and clinic operations in Grande Prairie and Lethbridge. This includes renovations to accommodate local student training, including the addition of classrooms and simulation and clinical training to meet accreditation standards.
Of the total funding, $43.2 million in capital funding will be provided for the new training centre in Lethbridge, $55.6 million will support operating expenses for the training centres in both Lethbridge and Grande Prairie, and an additional $126 million will support the overall physician training expansion.
“There has never been more demand for dedicated and skilled medical professionals with ties to rural communities. Northwestern Polytechnic is grateful for the opportunity to be part of a collaborative way forward that will help attract, educate, and retain the physicians needed in our northernmost communities and across Alberta.”
Dr. Vanessa Sheane, President and CEO, Northwestern Polytechnic
"This is an important investment in medical education and primary healthcare in our province. These regional training centres will give more students access to a world-class education with hands-on training in rural settings. I'm proud that we can play a leading role in building a more robust healthcare system in Alberta."
Bill Flanagan, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Alberta
Quick facts
- The Ministries of Health and Advanced Education are jointly responsible for the education of physicians in Alberta.
- Currently, there are two Doctor of Medicine programs in Alberta: one at the University of Alberta and one at the University of Calgary.
- In 2023, Advanced Education provided $1 million to a Working Group on Rural Physicians to explore the feasibility of expanding Alberta’s medical training pathways with the goal of improving access to physicians in rural and remote areas of the province.
- Since 2022, Alberta’s government has invested more than $225 million to create over 12,500 new seats at post-secondary institutions across the province, including more than 3,700 seats in healthcare related programs.
- Government is working with the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary to increase the number of undergraduate medical training seats, residency positions for newly graduated doctors, and residency positions for international medical graduates (IMGs). Once the seat expansion is complete, more than 100 additional Alberta-trained physicians will be ready to practise annually.
- The RMEPTCs will use a distributed medical education model - a program where universities partner with local institutions to develop regional training campuses where medical students complete most of their medical education outside the metropolitan regions. This will benefit rural communities as evidence shows that students who learn in rural areas are more likely to practice in rural areas after their training is complete.
