News Release

February 9, 2005
For immediate release

David Smith, Member of Parliament for Pontiac, Announced $153,895 to Help Increase Number of Rural Physicians

SHAWVILLE, Que. - Mr. David Smith, Member of Parliament (MP) for Pontiac, today announced $153,895 in federal funding to assist efforts to increase the number of physicians serving rural areas of Canada.

Health Canada awarded the funding to the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada (SRPC), which promotes equitable health care for rural communities. The Society, based in Shawville ( Quebec ), will use the funding to develop strategies to recruit and retain rural physicians. Other objectives include improvements to rural medical education programs, translating materials so that such programs can be expanded to French-speaking physicians, and the development of better ways to provide rural surgical care.

"This funding supports efforts to reduce physician shortages and improve health care services in rural areas," said MP Smith. "The Government of Canada wants to ensure that Canadians have timely access to quality care from the health professionals they need, wherever they live in this country."

Mr. Smith noted that although 25 per cent of Canadians live in rural areas only 16 per cent of Canada 's physicians live in these areas.

Andy Savoy, MP for Tobique-Mactaquac, supports this initiative aimed at increasing the number of physicians serving rural areas of Canada , including francophone communities. "The Government of Canada , by investing in tools designed for french speaking physician, demonstrates a commitment to improving health care for french speaking residents in rural areas," said MP Savoy.

The federal funding will be provided over a three-year period to the SRPC project, called "Enhancement of Physician Health Human Resources in Rural Canada."

"This is an exciting day for rural medicine, said SRPC president Dr. Trina Larson-Soles, a physician in rural British Columbia . "It is a commitment by this government to rural Canadians and the physicians who help look after them."

The funding comes from the Pan-Canadian Health Human Resource Strategy, which has been allocated $20 million per year in ongoing funding to support the development of a stable health care workforce with the right number and mix of health professionals.

At their meeting in September 2004, First Ministers agreed on a ten-year plan, supported by new federal investments of $41 billion, to further strengthen the health system and its workforce.

"The plan responds directly to everyone's number one priority - reducing wait times and improving access to care," said Smith. "The accord will help train and hire more doctors, nurses and other health professionals."

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Media Inquiries:
Paul Duchesne
Health Canada
(613) 954-4807

Adèle Blanchard
Office of the Minister of Health
(613) 957-0200

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