Foreign-trained doctors say they could help with B.C.'s doctor shortage but face too many barriers
CBC
This story is part of Situation Critical, a series from CBC British Columbia reporting on the barriers people in this province face in accessing timely and appropriate health care.
As emergency rooms across some rural parts of the province had to close this weekend amid staffing shortages, some internationally trained doctors say the barriers to practise in Canada have forced them to seek a different career.
Honieh Barzegari, who earned her degree as a family physician in Iran before immigrating to Canada, says she's been advocating for international medical graduates (IMGs) and a change in the province's health-care system to make it easier for foreign-trained doctors to practise in B.C.
"The system is set up to fail international medical graduates rather than empowering them to be able to practise here," Barzegari told CBC's The Early Edition.
On Sunday, Interior Health announced that the South Okanagan General Hospital in Oliver, B.C., would be closed from noon until 6 p.m. On Friday, emergency departments at Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital in Clearwater and the Ashcroft Hospital and Community Health Care Centre closed for the weekend.
Barzegari said she moved to Canada knowing there should be opportunities to practise due to the ongoing shortage of doctors in B.C. but was unaware of all the fees and the time it would take.
"The financial barrier is a lot because exams are so expensive, and also I need to live and pay for bills," she said. "The emotional barrier of trying and failing and not being able to get the licence is all a big issue."
Barzegari now works as a clinical solutions manager at a medical manufacturing company.
The Institute for Canadian Citizenship, which helps newcomers and people seeking citizenship, estimates there are thousands of foreign-trained doctors whose qualifications have allowed them to be fast-tracked for Canadian citizenship but provincial regulators refuse to recognize their credentials.
Valorie Crooks, a professor in the department of geography at Simon Fraser University, says Canadian students who decide to get their medical education in a different country are not aware of what is needed to come back and practise medicine in Canada.
"Many people who are starting to pursue these schools as an option don't realize that they'll actually be returning as an international medical graduate (IMG).
"They'll have to gain entry into practising in the medical profession in the same way as others who were trained internationally."
She said in addition to all the qualifying tests and recognized medical degrees, there's a stigma around students who decide to get a medical education elsewhere.
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This story is part of CBC Health's Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers on Saturday mornings. If you haven't subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here.