B.C. expanding efforts to recruit, train internationally educated doctors
B.C. officials have announced changes they say will allow more foreign-trained and certified doctors to work in the province, a move meant to help mitigate the crisis in family medicine.
In a Sunday news conference, Premier David Eby said too many of these professionals are sitting on the sidelines while too many people are not getting the care they need.
"The pandemic has exposed underlying challenges and added new strains to our public health-care system, and too many British Columbians are struggling to find a family doctor," Eby wrote in a statement.
"Meanwhile, family doctors trained outside of Canada aren't able to practise family medicine, because they lack a pathway to be licensed here. We need to fix this."
The practice ready assessment program, which allows family practitioners trained outside of Canada to get licensed in B.C., will expand from its current 32 seats to 96 over the next 16 months.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC will also create a class of license for "associate physicians" who will be allowed to practice under the supervision of a licensed doctor within provincial acute-care settings. In addition, the college will allow physicians who have three years of training in the U.S. to practice in settings such as community clinics, urgent and primary care centres, and family practices.
It is estimated as many as one million British Columbians do not have access to a primary care provider, with an additional million waiting for specialist care.
In addition to the hundreds of thousands without access to consistent care, the crisis has led to increased pressure on struggling and short-staffed 911 centres, ambulances, and hospitals
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Why drivers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see a gas price spike, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
Toxic forever chemicals in drinking water: Is Canada doing enough?
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
McDonald's customers left with 'zero value' collection of free hot drink stickers after company ends program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Biden scores endorsements from Kennedy family, looking to shore up support against Trump and RFK Jr.
U.S. President Joe Biden will accept endorsements from at least 15 members of the Kennedy political family during a campaign stop in Philadelphia on Thursday as he aims to undermine Donald Trump and marginalize the candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
When new leaders took over in ancient Maya, they didn't just bury the former royals. They burned their bodies in public
New archeological investigations in Guatemala reveal that the ancient Maya people had a ritual of burning royal human remains as a public display of political regime change.
Party's over: Coyotes play final game as Arizona franchise before move to Salt Lake City
Mullett Arena buzzed like few times in the two years since the Arizona Coyotes moved in, the fans amped for one last desert hurrah.