Immigration minister heads overseas for doctor recruitment
Nova Scotia Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab is headed across the pond this week with hopes of coming back with a few new physicians.
Diab, as well as representatives from the Nova Scotia Health Authority and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia, will head to Dublin on Wednesday, followed by London, before heading back on Sunday.
“The college is there to talk about licensing and answer questions of ‘can you work in Nova Scotia?’
The Nova Scotia Health Authority (will be) there basically to talk to them about the jobs that they have available, and we are there as the Nova Scotia office of immigration to tell them how they can get here to Nova Scotia from the new stream we have devised that is a faster, more simple, process,” Diab said.
Events will be held in both cities with the aim of attracting more doctors as part of recruitment efforts targeting the U.K., Ireland, Australia and the United States, Diab said. Physicians licensed to practise in those countries have credentials already recognized by Canada.
The province launched a physician-specific immigration stream in February aimed at making the immigration process faster for physicians with Canadian-approved credentials, and has brought in three family doctors and one specialist who are on a path to permanent residency. The four doctors will work in Cape Breton, Antigonish and Halifax, and a fifth application is being processed and is expected to be finalized this month.
According to the Nova Scotia Health Authority, their goal is to bring at least 12 international physicians to work in Nova Scotia each year with a focus on family doctors and specialists. It’s a modest target — the health authority told CBC in February that it needs to hire 110 physicians a year to at least keep the status quo, and there are dozens of openings across the province.
Diab said the province hopes to attract doctors through highlighting Nova Scotia’s strengths, something the government plans to do partially via its new slogan, Room, which is set to launch this week.
The new brand focuses on the unique attributes Nova Scotia offers immigrants: lifestyle, worklife balance and personal and professional opportunities.
“We believe ( we) have the physical room to offer people to come to Nova Scotia. We’re not overcrowded but we’re definitely not isolated, we have great restaurants, we have beaches, you can go to wineries and you can buy a home with a backyard,” Diab said, adding there’s also room to grow professionally.