With 6.5 million Canadians living without a family doctor, a group of senators are hoping international med school grads can help fill the gap.
Driving the news: Three senators have tabled a new proposal aimed at getting more international graduates into family medicine in Canada, a plan they say would add at least 750 new family physicians to the healthcare system every year.
- The proposal requires federal funds to increase the number of residency training spots for international graduates and Canadians returning from school abroad.
- It also urges the feds to expand an existing program that speeds up the process for international doctors and medical graduates to become licensed in Canada.
Catch-up: The Canadian healthcare system has been historically difficult for international healthcare workers to break into. According to Statistics Canada, almost half of immigrants with health-related education aren’t working in the medical field in Canada.
Why it matters: With an aging population and over 18,000 physicians set to retire in the next six years, Canada needs to find a way to get more doctors into family practice — and quickly.
Bottom line: Making it easier for newcomers to practise in Canada could help get the ball rolling, but family medicine is also facing flagging interest among new grads. Last year, less than a third of medical school grads went into family medicine, down from nearly 40% in 2014.—LA