The neurosurgeon we could not keep

One of my relatives recently graduated as a neurosurgeon. He was the kind of student who seemed destined for excellence from the beginning. He ranked first in high school. He ranked first in university. He excelled throughout medical school. As if that were not enough, he went on to complete a PhD in neuroscience in addition to obtaining his Royal College certification.He is brilliant. There is no other word for it.He will almost certainly make important contributions to medicine. He will treat complex illnesses, perform difficult surgeries, teach future physicians and perhaps contribute to scientific discoveries that improve countless lives.Yet, despite all of this, his future will not be in Canada.Soon, he will move to the United States.However, this was not his first choice, his preference was to stay in Canada and build his career here. He loves this country and would have been happy to continue serving Canadians. But when an exceptional opportunity knocks on one’s door, it is difficult to ignore it. I do not blame him for accepting it. Most of us, placed in the same position, would likely make the same decision.I am genuinely happy for him. He has earned every opportunity that comes his way. But I would be lying if I said it did not hurt.It hurts because Canada helped build him as a physician. Our schools educated him. Our universities trained him. Our teaching hospitals refined his skills. Canadian taxpayers contributed, directly and indirectly, to every stage of that journey. He did everything right and, by his own admission, would have preferred to build his future here. The issue is not that he chose to leave; the issue is that we created circumstances in which a better opportunity elsewhere became too difficult to ignore. When a country invests in its brightest minds, it should also strive to give them compelling reasons to stay.This is not an isolated story. It is repeated again and again across the country.We talk endlessly about physician shortages. We discuss wait times, emergency department closures, delayed surgeries and lack of access to specialists. We announce new hospitals, new clinics, and new infrastructure projects. Yet buildings do not treat patients.Doctors do.An operating room without a surgeon is simply a room.A hospital without physicians is simply a building.A healthcare system is only as strong as the people who work within it.That raises an uncomfortable question. What is more important: building additional facilities or retaining the highly trained professionals needed to staff them?Canada produces some of the finest physicians in the world. International recruiters know this. American hospitals know this. Academic centres know this. They actively pursue our best graduates because they recognize their value.The tragedy is not that these physicians are wanted elsewhere. The tragedy is that we often seem surprised when they leave.Talent follows opportunity.If we want to keep exceptional physicians, researchers, nurses and other healthcare professionals, we must create an environment where staying makes sense. Respect matters. Working conditions matter. Administrative burden matters. Compensation matters. Professional autonomy matters.When highly trained professionals repeatedly conclude that their future is brighter elsewhere, we should not simply blame them for leaving. We should ask ourselves why staying became the less attractive option.Every physician who leaves highlights something larger than an individual career decision. It reflects years of training, mentorship, experience, and public investment that Canada was unable to retain. The issue is not that talented people pursue opportunities available to them; the issue is that too many feel compelled to look elsewhere to find those opportunities.Healthcare shortages are often discussed as if they are natural disasters beyond our control. They are not. Many are the predictable result of policy choices and priorities.A nation reveals its priorities not by what it says, but by what it funds, protects, and preserves.If we truly believe healthcare is a cornerstone of our society, then retaining the people who provide that care must become a national priority.Because losing one brilliant neurosurgeon may seem insignificant.Losing thousands of brilliant minds is not.It is a slow leak that eventually empties the entire vessel.Dr. Jabir Jassam is a family physician in Ottawa.

The neurosurgeon we could not keep

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