Federal Government Announces Funding to Support
New Family Medicine Positions in Newfoundland and Labrador

On behalf of the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, Senator Fabian Manning, today announced federal funding that will support up to 16 new family medicine residents to receive training and provide medical services in Newfoundland and Labrador.

“Today’s announcement will bring more doctors to Newfoundland and Labrador,” said Senator Manning. “This project will provide the necessary medical training for new family medicine residents and equip them with the skill set needed to practise in rural and remote areas throughout the province.”

Working together with the provincial Department of Health and Community Services and the Faculty of Medicine at Memorial University in Newfoundland and Labrador, federal funding for this project will support up to 16 new family medicine residents, who will receive training in selected rural communities in Newfoundland and Labrador. As a result of this enhanced rural experience, these family medicine residents will be better prepared to practise in these small communities.

“Our government is committed to the recruitment and retention of physicians to our province, especially in rural areas, and we continue to see success. We have more physicians now than in the history of our province,” said the Honourable Jerome Kennedy, Minister of Health and Community Services. “Memorial University has become a world leader in preparing future physicians for rural practice. With an expansion of the class size to 84 seats by 2013, this funding will further assist us in ensuring that medical students have additional opportunities for positive placements and to practise in rural settings.”

Funding from today’s announcement will help ensure the people of Newfoundland and Labrador have greater access to the right supply, mix and distribution of health care providers. It will also support the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador’s efforts around health human resources planning which aims to create and maintain a stable, adequate health workforce in underserved communities.

The Government of Canada is providing up to $4.5 million in funding over six years through the Pan-Canadian Health Human Resources Strategy which supports and facilitates innovation in health human resources to help bring about an adequate supply of health care providers while promoting optimal working conditions for Canada’s health workforce.

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BACKGROUNDER
Family Medicine Residency Initiative for
Communities in Newfoundland and Labrador

To support Newfoundland and Labrador’s health human resource strategy and help address the ongoing challenge to recruit and retain family physicians in rural areas, the Government of Canada will provide funding to support up to 16 additional family medicine residency positions in the province over six years.

Funding for this project will provide residents with enhanced training in selected communities with populations under 15,000. Residents being placed in these communities will benefit from enhanced rural content within their curriculum, resulting in family medicine physicians who are better prepared for practice in rural communities. The added exposure to these communities will also help to encourage residents to stay and work in these areas after the completion of their medical training.

The Provincial Government will work with Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador to carry out this project. Since the Family Medicine Training Program at Memorial University was established in 1973 with the objective to train family physicians to work in rural areas of Canada, it has had considerable success in preparing graduates to enter rural practice.

Today’s announcement encompasses a total federal investment of $39.5 million under the Pan-Canadian Health Human Resources Strategy. This strategy supports and facilitates innovation in health human resources to help bring about an adequate supply of health care providers while promoting optimal working conditions for Canada’s health workforce.

• Ontario will be provided up to $11 million to support 60 additional training positions in emergency medicine or enhanced skills in collaboration with the Ontario-based Faculties of Medicine.
• Nunavut will be provided up to $4.9 million to support the creation of up to eight additional family medicine residencies in the Territory in collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine at Memorial University in Newfoundland and Labrador.
• Newfoundland and Labrador will be provided up to $4.5 million to support 16 new family medicine residents in collaboration with Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Faculty of Medicine
• New Brunswick will be provided up to $2.8 million to support an additional six residencies through enhanced training in emergency and acute care in collaboration with Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Medicine in Nova Scotia.
• Saskatchewan will be provided up to $3.4 million to support six new residencies with enhanced training in anaesthesia or surgery in collaboration with the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Medicine.
• British Columbia will be provided approximately $5.9 million to support the creation of 20 additional residencies assigned throughout the province in collaboration with the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Medicine.
• Manitoba has received up to $6.9 million for training 15 additional family medicine residents by expanding the Northern and Remote Family Medicine Residency Program. This funding was announced by Minister Aglukkaq in 2010.

2011 02 23             2:40 p.m.