To : Ministers of Health, Deans of Medical Schools, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Federal and Provincial Chief Medical Officers, Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada
RE: International Medical Graduates in Canada : It’s time to innovate and make optimal use of this qualified but under-utilized resource!
With COVID-19 still wreaking havoc, there has never been a better time to question the status quo that threatens Canada’s health care system. More than ever, now is the time to innovate to ensure that International Medical Graduates (IMG) who are in Canada, are fully employed – as practicing medical residents, licensed physicians or as part of another health care profession. Canada needs to set the wheels in motion so that our health system reaps the full benefit of IMGs’ medical knowledge and training.
The fact that there are close to 5 million Canadians that do not have a family doctor is part of these weaknesses and so is the shortage of specialists, especially in rural areas. This shortage extends to almost every type of healthcare worker, including nurses, physician assistants, health technologists, paramedic, and others. Yet, despite this sad state of affairs, almost no progress has been made to fully integrate International Medical Graduates in Canada so that they can fully contribute to our health care system.
While they may have received their medical education in another country, some of these International Medical Graduates are Canadians born, bred and educated in Canada. Others were fully certified physicians in their country of origin, before immigrating to Canada. Many of the latter were enticed to this country under the Skilled Worker Program where their immigration applications were expedited because of the doctor shortage we face in this country. Most are surprised that even after graduating from reputable medical schools and passing the examinations that prove that they have the medical knowledge, decision-making ability, and clinical skills expected of a graduate of a Canadian school, that they are segregated and forbidden from competing for 90% of the entry level jobs in medicine despite proving themselves qualified for these residency training positions. Thus they cannot become licensed physicians in Canada. Too many of them end up in jobs that do not make any, let alone, full use of their knowledge and expertise. Not only do they not access residency training required to practice medicine, there are no transition programs for them to aspire to such training. What a waste! What a disgrace, especially for a country that prides itself of being an open and inclusive society that was built on immigration and fair play, a country that should strive to support our best and brightest!
With strong leadership we can act to help Canada’s healthcare system respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftershock, and build a more resilient health care infrastructure for the future. There are over 2,000 International Medical Graduates in Canada who have passed the Medical Council of Canada examinations which serves to recognize that these candidates meet the Canadian standard. The vast majority of these graduates did not secure residency positions in 2021. They are available immediately to move into post-graduate training jobs as medical residents. We also have many Canadians who studied abroad who are working as fully licensed physicians in other countries, who could practice in Canada now. We need to remove barriers to their registration. Here is how we can immediately bring more qualified doctors into the Canadian health care system:
– Increase Medical Residency positions and Registration Pathways.
o Fund new PGY-1 residency positions for these Canadian citizens and permanent residents from federal and provincial funds, including emergency funds, to (1) replace scheduled PGY-1 visa-trainees, and (2) increase the number of PGY-1 residency positions currently funded by the provinces.
o Instruct the Canadian Residency Matching Service and the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada to re-establish the practice whereby the Match date for residency training is prior to the Match date in the United States. (This would allow more Canadians to choose to practice in Canada instead of the United States.)
o Do not allow any new foreign visa trainees into Canada , effective immediately. (Changing this practice would mean that infrastructure paid for by taxpayers would be used to train Canadians and not foreigners who are obliged to go back and practice in their country.)
o Remove barriers and increase pathways for registration of Immigrant Physicians.
o Work with provincial colleges of physicians and surgeons to grant temporary provisional licenses to immigrant physicians who have passed the Medical Council of Canada examinations and are fully qualified in their country of origin.
Bring home fully qualified Canadian doctors.
o Work with provincial colleges of physicians and surgeons to bring back Canadian physicians currently practicing in recognised jurisdictions, including the UK, Ireland, Australia New Zealand, and the United States, by removing registration barriers, especially in Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, and Emergency Medicine which are stretched and under-resourced because of the COVID pandemic.
Implement affordable transition programs for IMGs.
o Transition programs for candidates wishing to become physicians. (The only program is with Queen’s University, but it is now on hold. https://www.queensu.ca/sgs/graduate-calendar/programs-study/medical-sciences)
o Transition programs for a career as a Physician Assistant. (Only a few provinces recognize this type of career. There is no transition program for someone who already has an M.D. degree. The full program is of a duration of 2 years.)
Implement financial incentive programs for candidates requiring program transition training.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the fragility of our health system. It is time, more than ever, to innovate and make optimal use of health care knowledge and expertise that is at our disposal in Canada.
Sincerely yours,
Rosemary Pawliuk
President of Society for Canadians Studying Medicine Abroad
Tel: (604) 541-4747
E-Mail: socasma@outlook.com
www.socasma.com
Carole Lafrenière
SOCASMA – Ontario team (French speaking spokesperson)
Tel: (613) 807-0776
E-Mail: socasma.working@gmail.com
Comments are closed