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Report calls for more foreign-trained doctors to be licensed in Ontario

02.07.2008 12:00 Health - Source: cbc.ca

A report by former Liberal cabinet minister Laurel Broten says immigrant doctors are being treated unfairly by a system that is "convoluted and flawed."

Commissioned by the provincial government, the report says doctors who have had years of practice should not have to write exams and go through residency all over again.

One suggestion in the report is to give doctors transitional licences so they can get the Canadian experience they need.

"If they come from a peer jurisdiction and they've passed a number of comparable exams, surely we should be able to find a way to assess their skills," the MPP told CBC News.

Broten said the issue is not just about treating foreign doctors fairly, but also about getting the medical practitioners the province needs.

"For the last four years the majority of new doctors licensed in Ontario were trained outside of the country," she said.

Joshua Thambiraj, who is from Malaysia, is an example of the doctors Broten is trying to help.

He had 20 years of training and practice in orthopedic surgery before moving to Ontario two years ago.

He took the four required exams, but when it came to the next step — a practice assessment spot — there wasn't any room. He alleges the medical boards "knew beforehand they had no spots."

System needs shakeup, report author says

Broten says in her report that the exams and practice assessments are "convoluted, flawed, and substantially unfair."

The entire system needs a shakeup, according to Broten.

"There are some hurdles you simply won't be able to pass if you are an internationally trained doctor," she said.

The government wants to change things by requiring the College of Physicians and Surgeons to consider the public interest when licensing doctors.

Thambiraj estimates there are about 1,000 internationally trained medical graduates who are in Ontario, but unable to practise.

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