NRI, Health Minister Dosanjh announces
$75 million to bring
more internationally educated professionals into health
care system
VANCOUVER, April 25
CNW Telbec
Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh today announced a
$75 million federal initiative that is expected to
assist more than 2,000 internationally educated health
care professionals to put their skills to work in
Canada's health care system.
"The whole country benefits when immigrants and
internationally educated Canadians are able to make
full use of their knowledge and experience,"
said Minister Dosanjh. "This initiative will
strengthen our health system by helping to increase
the supply of health care professionals, which will
improve access to quality health care and reduce wait
times."
The $75 million, which was included in Budget 2005,
will be provided over five years. During this period,
it is estimated the funding will assist in the assessment
and integration into the workforce of up to 1,000
physicians, 800 nurses and 500 other regulated health
care professionals. The numbers will vary, however,
according to the priorities of provincial and territorial
governments. "This fulfils the Government of
Canada's commitment at the First Ministers Meeting
last September to accelerate and expand the assessment
and integration of internationally educated health
care professionals," said Minister Dosanjh. "This
complements a series of other measures we are taking
in collaboration with provinces and territories and
the health care community
to provide cities and rural areas across this country
with the health care workers they need."
Strengthening the health care workforce is a key objective
of the Ten- Year Plan to Strengthen Health Care, which
all First Ministers signed in September 2004. The
Government of Canada is supporting the training and
hiring of more health care professionals through the
$5.5-billion Wait Times Reduction Fund. In addition,
the Pan-Canadian Health Human Resource Strategy
provides $20 million per year to improve health care
workforce planning, promote the use of interdisciplinary
health care teams and increase recruitment and retention
of needed health care professionals.
Minister Dosanjh also noted that today's $75 million
announcement is part of a wider Internationally Trained
Workers Initiative, involving 14 federal departments
and agencies.
"The Initiative will improve the integration
of immigrants and internationally trained Canadians
into the labour force so they can contribute their
full potential to Canada and share in its prosperity,"
said Minister Dosanjh.
The $75 million initiative on internationally educated
health care graduates will build on work that is already
underway. As part of that work, which received $8.5
million in earlier funding from the Government of
Canada, Minister Dosanjh today announced:
- The launch of a national website that will help
international medical graduates prepare to become
licensed to practice in Canada. The Association
of International Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario,
with funding of $126,356 from Health Canada, took
the lead in preparing the online Canadian Information
Centre for International Medical Graduates ( www.IMG-Canada.ca
). The site is a central point of information for
international medical graduates, providing comprehensive
information on the Canadian health care system and
medical licensure requirements,
education and training services in different provinces
and territories. It also provides information on
alternative health care careers. The Website will
enable international medical graduates to
assess their options and opportunities even before
they come to Canada and will be linked to Citizenship
and Immigration's "Going to Canada" immigration
portal. Minister Dosanjh officially launched the
site Monday with Dr. Dale Dauphinee, executive director
of the Medical Council of Canada.
- A National Credential Verification Agency will
be established by the Medical Council of Canada
to provide a streamlined process for verifying the
credentials of international medical graduates.
After this verification, these graduates can then
take an evaluation exam or other steps toward becoming
licensed to practice in Canada. The single-source
verification service will prevent these graduates
from having to get their credentials verified in
each province or territory in which they seek licensure.
This $1.86 million project is funded by Human Resources
and Skills Development Canada.
- The Medical Council of Canada will make its evaluation
exam more readily accessible to international medical
graduates in a $1.34 million project funded by Human
Resources and Skills Development Canada. This exam
is the first stage in the licensing process for
international medical graduates in Canada. The exam
will be put into an electronic format to enhance
its availability.
- The Canadian Post M.D. Education Registry is receiving
$834,625 from Human Resources and Skills Development
Canada to create a pan-Canadian database with information
about international medical graduates that will
improve planning for the assessment, training and
integration of these graduates.
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