International schools could help with Canadian doctor shortage: surgeon
Posted September 30, 2016 7:07 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
ST. GEORGE’S, GRENADA (NEWS 1130) – A lack of access to doctors isn’t just a problem here in BC, it’s Canada-wide.
And one Toronto-born surgeon says at least part of the solution to that issue, can be found on the Caribbean island of Grenada.
The medical school at the country’s St. George’s University is taking in a number of Canadians.
“It’s a great curriculum that is really geared towards North American healthcare either in the US or back home in Canada,” says Dr. Josh Ramjist, a surgeon who counts himself among the school’s graduates.
He says the key to solving the Canadian doctor shortage starts with creating more opportunity.
“It’s (St. George’s) giving an opportunity for young Canadians who want to pursue healthcare and are unable to obtain entry into a Canadian medical school another avenue for them to be able to pursue their goals,” says Ramjist, whose residency included stops in Toronto and now New York City.
It’s impossible to know exactly how many of the school’s graduates eventually head back home to practice, because they all spend different amounts of time abroad, specializing in various fields.
But Ramjist, who also just finished an MBA at the school, says a return to the Great White North is on the minds of virtually all Canadian students.
“I’m fortunate to do some of our (St. George’s University) interviews. I would say probably one-in-four students that I interview talk about where they come from in Canada. So I think it’s a lot of local kids who want to make a difference in their own communities.”
One of the most glaring aspects of the doctor shortage in this country surrounds a lack of family physicians.
Many at St. George’s don’t get into medical school here, but Ramjist says they still want to help solve the problem.
“They come from these small towns where there are one or two doctors and they’re getting older and he or she is moving on and the practice is going to close. They want to do primary care. Their goal is to be that person who everyone comes to with their problem.”
