Poaching Doctors

(Ontario, Canada) Although they were schooled and credentialed in Canada, about 9,000 physicians have left the country, lured away to practice in the United States. Apparently, the opportunities and rewards in the U.S. are much more attractive. Some people believe that the U.S. is poaching in the pool of Canadian medical professionals.

To address the enduring and worrisome doctor shortage, an official plan has been adopted. Health Minister George Smitherman announced that the government will recruit more doctors and streamline the process to get foreign-trained doctors accredited as physicians in Canada.

From TheStar.com:

Smitherman also said the government is going to be more "aggressive" in trying to recruit doctors from abroad to fight fire with fire as other countries embark on similar strategies.

Critics said that plan is tantamount to "poaching" because it may lure doctors from underdeveloped nations with worse doctor shortages than Ontario's.

So, the solution to the poached-doctor problem is to poach doctors from poachable countries.

Strangely, there seems to be no discussion regarding the reasons that Canadian-trained doctors are so easily lured away. Quite possibly, if Canada were made more doctor-friendly, fewer would be inclined to leave. For example, more pay and fewer hours frequently fosters contentment. As alternatives to poaching, those elements do not appear to be under consideration.