The Medical Council of Canada receives grant approval to develop first nationally integrated source of data on physicians in Canada

OTTAWA, ONTARIO – The Medical Council of Canada (MCC) is pleased to announce that the Government of Canada, under the Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program’s call for proposals, approved the MCC funding request for the National Registry of Physicians (NRP) on October 17, 2022.

Set to launch in April 2024, the NRP will be the first nationally integrated source of data on physicians in Canada. It will function as a centralized information exchange and will allow for improved collaboration across jurisdictions in a shared vision to consolidate valuable physician data in a centralized location.

The registry will over time be accessible to key interested parties and eliminate the current need to collate numerous files from Medical Regulatory Authorities (MRAs) for data addressed by the scope of the registry. The Registry will assist with the decision making by interested parties and users while still ensuring that MRAs maintain physician data. Through this initiative, the MCC and our partners will be able to further expand on the highest level of medical care in Canada.

“Through this critical investment from the Government of Canada, centralizing provincial and territorial data on physicians who meet the Canadian standard for independent licensure will increase public confidence, enhance physician mobility, facilitate health sector resource planning, and make redeployment during a crisis easier,” said Dr. Maureen Topps, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the MCC. “In the longer term, we also expect the NRP to improve access of patients to physicians in Canada.”

With over 100 years of excellence and innovation in delivering assessments in a collaborative environment, the Medical Council of Canada is working to adapt its assessments to respond to emerging competencies, continue collaboration, and expand innovation across the country, ultimately improving access to safe and quality health care for patients across the country.

“Canada’s health care system is facing serious labour shortages, and medical professionals are in high demand right across the country. Through the Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program, we’re making it easier for health care providers to ensure Canadians have access to the care they need, when they need it.”

– Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough

– 30 –

Media contact for more information:
Kathryn Keyes
Director of Communications and Marketing
Medical Council of Canada
[email protected]
613-864 7784