This is the same government that counts student residences as permanent housing. They could claim PhDs as doctors and cite that as part of the supply.

So the number of doctors relative to population grew by 1.7% but average patient encounters dropped 3.7%? That doesn't exactly add up.

Maybe there's been a drop in the amount of care needed, but I kinda doubt it. One possible explanation is that people are so disillusioned with our healthcare system that they're seeking other forms of treatment, either out of province or through alternative (pseudoscience) medicine or just not going at all.