Publication date: Jul 10, 2022 • 12 hours ago • 4 min read • 11 comments Amit Bhalla is an international medical graduate awaiting a residency at BC Photo by Amit Bhalla /jpg
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Five years ago Amit Bhalla closed his practice as a radiologist in India, left his wife and children and came to Canada to create a career and a new life for them here.
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A foreign-trained physician currently waiting to take his oath of office to become a Canadian citizen, Bhalla was admitted to Canada based on a number of factors, including experience, education and English proficiency. Since arriving in 2017, he has written and passed the Medical Board of Canada qualifying exams. But that’s where it ended. At a time when BC is facing a health care crisis due to physician shortages, Bhalla has been unable to secure a residency position, necessary to qualify as a BC physician. Of the 3,000 residence places offered each year, only around 10% are for international applicants. Amit Bhalla is an international medical graduate awaiting a BC license Photo by Amit Bhalla /jpg “The government wants me to be a doctor, but I think it’s the licensing authorities, the ones doing the grading, so they’re creating a barrier,” Bhalla said. “It should be merit-based. I just come here, I’m Canadian, right? So why should I be treated as a foreigner?’
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It’s not just wrong, it’s systemic, says Rosemary Pawliuk, president of the Society for Canadians Studying Medicine Abroad. “What you hear from the government is ‘they don’t have the qualifications’, which is simply not true,” he said. “If they really wanted to address the lack of health care crisis, there are literally thousands of skilled Canadians who could step in tomorrow to work as resident doctors.” There are 4,141 international medical graduates licensed to practice in BC, according to the latest annual report from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC. That’s 30 percent of all BC licensed physicians. Of these foreign-trained doctors, 2,296, or 55 percent, are from South Africa, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, or the U.S. Doctors from these countries can bypass the worst barriers facing international medical graduates, such as compulsory education in Canada;
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There are an estimated 5,000 foreign-educated physicians in BC, both Canadian citizens and immigrant physicians, who have gone through the process of having their credentials recognized and demonstrating that they have the knowledge and skills to obtain a position accommodation. “Some of these immigrant doctors are just amazing in terms of qualifications, and they sit on the shelf,” Pawliuk said. “What’s really heartbreaking is how they’re marginalized and labeled as inferior, unaccredited and unsafe.” Herbert Emery, an economist and adviser to federal and provincial policymakers, says international medical graduates are a contentious issue. “There are a number of people in the medical profession who believe it is unethical to bring international medical graduates to Canada because the country that paid for their education, they should stay … and practice there,” said Emery, head of the Institute. Atlantic Policy Research at the University of New Brunswick.
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And some say international medical graduates threaten the standards the health care industry strives to uphold, he said. Pawliuk responds that international medical graduates must excel in the Medical Board exams to obtain residency positions. BC Health Minister Adrian Dix says international medical graduates present a way to address the shortage of family doctors. “We have to deal with creating additional spaces inside, adding our so-called PRA seats,” Dix said. PRA or ready-to-practice rating programs are a pathway for international doctors who have practiced abroad to become licensed here. “Those are options, and all of those options are being considered right now,” Dix said. Pawliuk said in 2020 the government promised a new medical school at SFU to address the shortage of doctors. He calls it a “never-never plan.”
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“To build a new medical school at SFU, there has to be a conversation, there has to be a business plan, there has to be time to build infrastructure,” he said. “You have to make a curriculum and then staff it. After all that is done, you need four years of medical school and then you need three years of residency training.” In the two years since the announcement there has been no funding or business plan, he said: “The new medical school is meant to reassure the public that something is happening. But realistically, this is a plan for 10 to 15 years down the road.” Bhalla decided to leave Canada to gain clinical experience in the United States, where there is less competition for residents. There are only 349 residency positions in Canada reserved for international medical graduates, while the US has 40,000 residency positions open to all for competition.
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Bhalla is willing to work in any province, the Northwest Territories and any underserved area. Meanwhile, he drives for Uber and works as a security guard to make ends meet while he waits for housing — and his family. “I want to live in Canada, I want to serve the people. I want to thank Canada for letting me be Canadian.” Claire Wilson and Nicolette Colosimo are recipients of the 2022 Langara College Read-Mercer Journalism Fellowship. This feature was created through the Community. Read Part 1: The Doctors’ Crisis: The Problem Is Family Doctors Can Do So Much More Doing Something Else More news, less ads: Our in-depth journalism is made possible by the support of our subscribers. For just $3.50 a week, you can get unlimited, ad-lite access to The Vancouver Sun, The Province, the National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Vancouver Sun | The Province.
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