Otolaryngology manpower in Canada: a crisis in the making?

Physician manpower issues have been of interest to Canadians and government officials for several decades. Since the first otolaryngology manpower survey was completed by Dr. Percy Ireland in 1962, there have been progressive declines in the physician-to-population ratio across Canada from 1 in 42 000 in 1962 to approximately 1 in 75 000 in 2000. The expected increase in our population over the next decade, the cutbacks in medical school enrollment, and an aging population will compound this problem. The system is in crisis, and this country is desperately in need of more otolaryngologists.