Doctor recall raises questions about effect in Canada

MONTREAL — Health officials across Canada were trying to determine Wednesday the potential impact if about 800 medical residents and fellows from Saudi Arabia suddenly leave the various networks next month.

The planned recall of that group comes after Saudi Arabia suspended diplomatic relations with Canada on Sunday in response to a tweet from Global Affairs Canada that criticized the Saudis for the arrest of female social activists.

The diplomatic row has escalated with a series of measures taken by the Saudis that include recalling students — including medical students and residents — to Saudi Arabia.

Saudi medical students make up the vast majority of foreign medical trainees in Canada, according to the Ottawa-based Saudi Arabian Cultural Bureau.

The bureau, part of the Saudi Education Ministry, which is in charge of placing Saudi medical students, has persuaded the kingdom to give trainees a “grace period” until Sept. 1 to return home, said Dr. Salvatore Spadafora, vice-dean of post-MD education at the University of Toronto’s faculty of medicine.

In Toronto, that means 216 Saudi doctors out of the 3,600 residents and fellows in their system — the biggest in Canada.

“So 216 people is not insignificant, but we’ve got a pretty big network,” Spadafora said. “We’re in the process now of really sitting down with our hospital partners, site by site and program by program, and figuring out what the impact will be if Sept. 1, these folks aren’t around.”

In Montreal, 225 out of the 1,250 residents at the McGill University Health Centre and the Jewish General Hospital are from Saudi Arabia. MUHC spokesperson Gilda Salomone said hospital authorities are monitoring events.

“The situation is still fluid, it’s evolving,” Salomone said. “We’re evaluating the situation and the impact it has on our programs.”

McGill specifically had 327 students from Saudi Arabia enrolled during the 2017-2018 academic year.

A spokesperson for Resident Doctors of Canada, which represents about 9,000 residents across the country, warned on its website that suspended scholarships for Saudi students studying here and their forced departure from Canada could have very negative consequences.

Todd Coopee said the institution is keeping tabs on the issue and the impact these actions will have on medical students and the system’s ability to provide care.