September 19, 2008

Doctors licensed to practice in other parts of Canada and the U.S. will soon be able to move to practice in Ontario without further training or additional examinations.

A new policy approved by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) will make it possible for physicians licensed in other parts of Canada to become registered to practice in Ontario. Doctors who are licensed to practice in the U.S. can move to Ontario and practice medicine if they have completed U.S. post graduate training and examinations. The new policy will come into effect December 1.

Helping more qualified internationally trained doctors practice in Ontario is part of the government’s plan to increase access to care. The plan builds on the Report on Removing Barriers for International Medical Doctors by Laurel Broten, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care.

In June, the Ontario government introduced legislation that would ease the way for internationally trained health care providers to practice in the province.

The legislation – called the Increasing Access to Qualified Health Professionals for Ontarians Act (Bill 97) – would, if passed, change the mandate of all regulatory colleges to acknowledge that access to health care is a matter of public interest. It is anticipated that second reading of the legislation will begin early in the fall legislative session.

“This is all about attracting more doctors who can deliver quality health care for Ontario families,” said Health and Long-Term Care Minister David Caplan. “We congratulate the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario for working with us to remove the barriers to getting licensed in Ontario without compromising the standards that our citizens expect for their physicians.”

“Access to physicians is critical to supporting vibrant communities,” said Peter Hume, President of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. “AMO is pleased that the CPSO has taken these steps to increase the number of physicians practicing in Ontario.”

• More than 5,000 internationally trained doctors are practicing in Ontario, representing approximately a quarter of the physician workforce
• About 630 IMGs are currently in residency training
• In 2007, for the fourth straight year, more certificates were issued to IMGs than to Ontario graduates by The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO)
• CPSO also reports the number of full practice certificates issued to IMGs in 2007 was the highest in 20 years, marking the seventh straight year of an increasing number of certificates for internationally trained doctors
• Currently, 5,000 to 6,000 Canadians are either practicing or training in the United States.
• Under a tentative agreement with the Ontario Medical Association, the government and the province’s doctors will work towards getting a family physician for 500,000 patients who need family health care

Read Laurel Broten’s Report on Removing Barriers for International Medical Doctors.

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