Hamilton risks losing 153 doctors in Saudi Arabia spat
Experts warn that the loss could be disruptive to patient care in the city
Hamilton is facing the sudden loss of 153 doctors — working primarily at Hamilton Health Sciences and St. Joseph’s Healthcare — due to the ongoing dispute between Canada and Saudi Arabia over human rights.
“That would be disruptive,” warns Ivy Lynn Bourgeault, lead of the Pan-Canadian Health Human Resources Network based at the University of Ottawa. “That is, locally, a heavy reliance.”
The doctors can’t be easily replaced because Saudi Arabia pays for their positions, so the money will leave with them over the next three weeks.
“The places in question are fully funded by the Saudi government and they will disappear if external funding is not available,” McMaster University spokesperson Gord Arbeau said in a statement.
None of the doctors have left yet, but Hamilton’s hospitals are bracing for their imminent departure.
“We are developing contingency plans to ensure clinical services are in place and continuity of care in the event that our Saudi colleagues leave Hamilton,” St. Joseph’s said in a statement.
The doctors were given until Sept. 1 to depart Canada by the kingdom after it suspended diplomatic relations on Sunday. It was a response to Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland and her department, which
“The places in question are fully funded by the Saudi government and they will disappear if external funding is not available.” GORD ARBEAU Spokesperson, McMaster University
tweeted concerns about the arrest of female social activists in Saudi Arabia.
“At this point, the situation remains quite fluid and we are hopeful for a resolution that will avoid any impacts on patient care,” said Arbeau.
In Hamilton, 95 of the recalled doctors are medical fellows, so they are trained specialists getting additional skills and doing research.
The remaining 58 are medical residents, which means they are doctors training to be specialists.
Some practice at community clinics, but the majority work predominantly in Hamilton’s hospitals in a wide variety of specialties.
“They provide excellent care and we recognize the severe stress this situation has on these individuals and their families,” Hamilton Health Sciences said in a statement.
McMaster has a total of about 1,100 fellows and residents for the school year that started July 1. Nearly 14 per cent of them are from Saudi Arabia.
It means McMaster is in danger of losing more than one in 10 of its fellows and residents, along with the funding for their positions, in a matter of weeks.
“I’m not familiar with contingency planning on that,” said Bourgeault. “It would not have been in the realm of possibility that something like this could happen.”
Canada-wide, there are 800 medical residents and fellows recalled to Saudi Arabia by Sept. 1.
“What seems to be extraordinary here is the disproportionate response,” said Bourgeault. “I don’t think we ever really anticipated all the repercussions this would have.”
She expects the recall to be eye-opening on the unforeseen consequences a diplomatic spat can have on the country’s health-care system.
“We have these health systems that are very fluid in terms of participation by international trainees ... so when there is disruption, it will have an impact here,” she said. “I think this is going to be causing a lot of organizations, from universities to health organizations, to rethink what are the potential disruptions of this type of thing.”
The health-care system relies heavily on residents and fellows who train on the job.
Resident Doctors of Canada, which represents over 10,000 residents nationwide, has expressed concern about the impact the coming departure could have on “our system’s ability to provide quality and timely care.”
“The potential for suspended scholarships for Saudi students studying here and their forced departure from Canada could have very negative consequences,” the advocacy group said in a statement. “We are monitoring the situation closely.”
Both St. Joseph’s and Hamilton Health Sciences are currently gauging the impact, and don’t have information yet on what the recall will mean for patients.
“With the uncertainty surrounding these circumstances, it’s too soon to discuss further details,” said St. Joseph’s. “We recognize the stress and uncertainty this has created for our Saudi colleagues and we will continue our support to them.”
McMaster stresses the Saudi positions are not connected to the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS), which has come under fire as record-high numbers of Canada’s medical school graduates have been left without residency positions.
“These fellows and residents are not replacing or taking the place of Canadian students, but are in addition to our full enrolment of domestic and other international students,” said Arbeau.
The recall could result in Canada’s health-care system losing more doctors than it appears at first glance — beyond the residents and fellows, says Bourgeault.
“The assumption with these visa trainees is that they are going to go back to their countries,” she said. “The data ... shows that is not necessarily the case. Many of them stay.”