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He said other provinces are increasing the number of residency seats, including Nova Scotia, which recently added 25. The Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada is calling for provincial governments to increase residency positions at a number 10 per cent higher than number of Canadian medicals school graduates each year.

“We urged Minister Dix to be a leader on this file,” Mitchell said.

While Dix was receptive to their concerns and “he understood the gravity of the situation, he wouldn’t commit to that (increasing the number of residencies), unfortunately,” Mitchell added.

Dix said he was impressed with the case the students made but said there are a number of other shortages in the health care field that need to be addressed, including a shortage of 900 care aides.

“We’re looking at the number of spaces in future years,” Dix said. “It’s not guaranteed” that all medical grads will secure a residency seat.

The unmatched students from a first round of residency applications have another chance at a second round of openings, for which international grad students can also apply, and if they cannot secure a position, they have to wait another year.

The next year, they’re up against the newer grads and it becomes even more difficult to match with a residency, said Randhawa.

She said the lack of residencies puts unmatched students in limbo, not able to launch their careers as they have to start paying back their student debt. Canadian medical students graduates with an average student debt of $158,000.

Randhawa said the residency shortage also harms society because there are 700,000 people unable to find a primary care doctor because of a shortage. Doctors typically care for 2,000 patients each, she said.

slazaruk@postmedia.com