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.
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