Canada has more doctors than ever, so why can’t you get one?

I am getting tired and stressed out just watching him work. I don't know how he does it. Also the burden of responsibility these doctors have would crush me, would probably crush most people. This is why so many doctors burn-out become indifferent, depressed, etc and the quality of care suffers. I have a family doctor. and he's a decent doctor, with good bedside manner, and he does care about his patients, but getting an appointment with him is really hard he's usually booked up for weeks. in the past I would just go to urgent care clinics because I didn't want to wait to get an appointment with my family doctor, I don't go to urgent care anymore, those walmart doctors are just awful.. Unless it's something really severe (in that case I would just go to the hospital) I'll wait to see my family doctor. I had a really awful experience with urgent care doctors.

If medical doctors and pharceutical companies would work along side naturopathy and actually cure problems would be great. There is so much money being spent on drugs that do nothing to address the underlying cause of disease states. The human body was not and designed to handle the harsh chemicals that these doctor prescribe.

The financial incentive for become a family doctor needs to increase. They earn a lot less for the amount of work and have a lot more responsibility when compared to many other medical specialties.

Thank you CBC for doing this. This was very insightful and makes you appreciate family doctors and the work they do. Approximately, 40% of Family Doctors' time is spent doing administrative tasks which are unpaid and can be very tedious. Luckily, AI bots are being introduced to help reduce this to under 15%.

I don’t have a family doctor, please someone guide me. How to get one? Everyone i call, they say they are full. 😒

Wow what an amazing doctor!

I'm in training at the moment with the goal of becoming family physician. I work in Europe so the training is a bit different here bcs we have to do part of our training in hospitals. When I work in the ER it's still more demanding than this. And on the ward usually too. The other staff forgets/does not care that we are not machines and the overall atmosphere in hospitals is very toxic.
So this is not that bad at all 😄 but I definitely don't see myself working full time bcs the job is physically and mentally very demanding.

The struggles of a Family Physician / General Practitioner. Seems its even better in Canada with 20 minutes appointments. It's 10 / 12.5 minutes here in the UK- and yes, that includes paperwork. Just imagine how challenging that is.

I take 2 different medications for different conditions, when I run out pills, I have to go see a doctor wait an hour or so to see a doctor for 3 or 4 minutes a total waste of time for both of us. I can't get an open refill prescption. I travel a bit and get this medication over the counter in many countries, no prescription needed. It's not like I can get high on these meds or OD on them The DR should be helping sick people. Follow the money.

poor doctors everywhere
the boomers are aging
they r overwhelmed

I want to be a Family Doctor. This was very balanced & helpful

I get tbe admin thing but being an admin is helping people... Following up on stuff isn't easy. It's patient advocacy.

The system needs an overhaul. Simplify it, get rid of the bureaucratic red tape, pay them a very generous flat rate

Aspiring to be a Fam Med Dr! This gives me realistic hope

Vancouver Island has a serious lack of family doctors despite it being a desirable place to live. It doesnt make sense at all. I appreciate doctors burn out but so many people have been going without proper treatment for so long its bound to amplify the problem and they likely will be showing up with more than one issue. The two cities nearest me have one walk in clinic each that book up early morning, taking fifty and forty patients a day in a region that serves people over a two hour drive. There arent enough facilities. The pandemic put so much stress on my family doc that he quit, just failed to show up on a monday. As did another in the region and another to the south. An excellent walk in clinic closed after decades of efficient, excellent service,. Why did it collapse so quickly I wonder.

Great documentary ! Thats grueling schedule ,doctor!

Because they leave for the US, and the ratio of doctor to people is not good...

As a nurse that’s how I feel every single shift, and I have about perhaps 10 minutes of down time between each 12 hour shift and travelling, home chores, eating, sleeping. I’m only 35 I have no idea how I will last the next month I can’t imagine being a nurse when I turn 40

Family doctors should be on salary. They should also receive health benefits, vacation time, sick time and pensions.
The fee for service model is draconian.
Seeing patients should be time on task (like it is now). Rx, referrals are all done by computer now

Aren't doctors in Canada paid per patient? If that's the case, can you not set your own schedule more conducive to your family and life balance (eg 4 day week, 6 hour days)?

Just a thought, but could the secretary (or second one if needed) shadow the doctor and fill in the paperwork, freeing doctors to see patients solely?

how many people are working alongside the Doctor in order to learn his practice. With all due respect, the Doctor will eventually age out himself. I rue that day. This man seems dope af. I'd love to learn under him.

30 patients a day is considered a difficult work day for a family physician in Canada? I'm struggling to decide between laughing and crying. 30 patients is a VERY slow work day here.

I practive primary care medicine in both the US and Canada for 13 years. I see on average 20 patients per shift in the US and about 25 in Canada, this documentary is spot on. People dont realize the amount of works we put in before and after seeing a patient. I gave up the insurance system in the US and public system in Canada and opened a private clinic outside of both about 4 months ago. I see about 10-12 patients a day now and I will never go back to the old days.

Dr. Abdullah deserves a medal of highest honor. God bless Dr. Abdullah and all the family doctors around the world... 💗🙏🏻

I overhead my GP doctor complain to a colleague that the College of Physicians and Surgeons does little to provide leadership to the doctors that are stuck in this precarious and broken system!

I am a patient. IMHO, doctor's must be humble and come clean with their clients - if they need more than the government provided 15 minute interval then they must coordinate the diagnosis and treatment plan with the patient in mind. Doctor's, please be creative in addressing the systemic issues that Canada has. If professional doctors become less defensive and instead become more vulnerable then I believe that they will observe the empathy and humanity of their patients step-up to meet the needs of the Doctor-Patient relationship.

I hope one day I can get into medical school here and serve more people. This doctor is such an inspiration! I feel like the way he builds amazing rapport with his clients have already cured whatever theyre going through!

Such as it is I`m now a senior and as such feel entitled to offer my opinion. Look around you folks. It`s about people`s personal expectations. Canadians in general terms expect more from our system that is readily available on everything. Just look at the trash around today. People actually expect park staff to pick it up. Just look at the trash whole families leave behind while dining. It applies to every aspect of people`s lives. My parent`s raised me as though we were still in the depression. My clothes were homemade. My mother cut my hair. We kids shoveled all the snow and there was no such thing as OHIP. People have simply become spoiled and along with it have huge expectations and when they get a taste of the reality of our health system they vent on others stressing the system all the more. The same people that will quickly spread any rumor about our overworked healthcare workers will do so as they wait in line to see a Dr. over the common cold never realizing they are part of the problem.

Lies. Check university enrollment. Its pathetic. Nothing is being done for next pandemic. Which WILL be worse.

6 million people without a family doctor what is going on?

This is so well done. Great documentary and what a great doctor & human being you selected to show us the live of a family doctor.

What an amazing doctor! The Hippocratic Oath is manifesting inside him. His joy is helping and treating people wth their health issues. Thank yous, hugs, and mentioning him in obituaries are enough to make him happy. Indeed, we need myriads of docs like you, Dr. Abdullah

... Because... Money and failed paper physicians.
This one is a good one.

Same as nursing. The government answer is more immigrant.

Canadians problem is that most nurses and doctors are moving to US

I'm going to go and give my doc a hug! She's wonderful and works so hard. Thanks for doing this amazing and informative video! We are thankful for our hardworking doctors all over Canada!!

*Canada has more female doctors than ever. STOP HIDING THE TRUE SEARCH RESULTS!

Thank you for sharing your humanity Dr. Abdulia. We see you. Love is everything!

My heart breaks for us all. You healthcare workers on ALL levels are hurting for a better system. And us patients at ALL levels of care are hurting for a better system. Why can’t we all band together and demand more from our governments? How do we do that together?

Canada's health system is sad. Trudos mass immigration policy sure helps me to find a physician...

Canada has a lot of internationally trained doctors and dentists who can serve but cannot get past the licensing process because of excessive red tape. Here are some suggestions. 1)Give them more opportunities to pass the tests. Why have a tiny number of available seats? 2) Test for competence instead of making them wait for years before they get an opportunity to even sit for an exam. 3) Reduce administrative red tape that takes years to get a license and makes it extremely expensive. This will help the government get more tax revenue and it will help people get access to family doctors. It's a win-win situation.

Hey doctor, I can come at least one day in a week and clean your office to get a good, caring family doctor like you for free. Few more patients come forward to take up other days, it will be good. We need to send this proposal to Health Minister.

I haven’t seen my Fam MD in years. We see different nurses each time.

Wonderful and much needed area to address. I can totally feel the pain for family physicians.

Abdulla is a great doctor. What can be done to reduce admin work loads,...automations? If private practice is not working because it adds to admin tasks, why not put a few on salaries and experiment with public practice?

Why is it so hard to find one who speaks English?

I had to go to 3 clinics to find a Dr with enough English to explain my injury to when I lived in Delta/Surrey BC

More doctors than ever? The healthcare system has been broken for the last 30 years, even more. Government has not done a thing to change it. Long wait times, surgeons competing for OR time, takes 6 months to get an MRI, limited care between cities, very limited residency spots, no jobs following residency, Saudis acquiring residency spots and go home afterwards, etc etc. Nothing has changed. And believe me I know, long history in this system.

How about hiring a medical scribe to help with the documentation.

Our system is broken. I’ve had terrible experiences with our healthcare system that resulted in the permanent loss of the use leg at 37. Ten years later, I continue to have devastating complications, prescription mistakes, and incredible friction with the system as a whole. My life has been ruined as a result, but after seeing how this amazing doctor is trying to navigate the burdensome paperwork and unnecessary bureaucracy, I understand how difficult it is for front line doctors to do their jobs. Things must change!