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The Ontario government has said it would effectively bar international students from attending medical schools in the fall of 2026.
CBC reports that the government has also said it would cover tuition for more than 1,000 students who commit to becoming a family doctor in he province.
Premier Goug Ford and Health Minister Sylvia Jones said legislation will ensure at least 95 per cent of medical school spots will be reserved for residens of Ontario. The remaining will be for students from other provinces in Canada.
The change will only represent a small shift in enrolment, because 88 per cent of all medical school spots in Ontario are already held by residents of the province, according to a ministry of health official.
The official said the pending change is not a total ban on international students because in the highly unlikely scenario seats do go unfilled, medical schools could still admit international students.
The government is also expanding a “Learn and Stay” program that covers tuition and other educational costs to include students who commit to practising family medicine in Ontario with a “full roster of patients.”
2.5 million people in the province do not have a family dictor now, according to the Ontario Medical Association. The number is expected to neraly double in coming years. a study by the Canadian Institute for Health Information released on Thursday said 12 per cent of Ontarians do not have a family doctor.
This week, the province appinted a former federal Liberal health minister Jane Philpott to a new role with a goal of connecting every Canadian to primary health care within the next five years.
“She’s going to be on ground fixing tjat gap,” Doug said.
the province is also expanding its health-teams model, which sees patients connect to clinics where they have access to physicians, nurse practitioners and other services like physical rehabilitation and mental-health care.
The province said it is reviewing the visa trainee program that trains international students sponsored by foreign governments, in an effort to further protect Ontario students.
Te Premier also promised to assist the current crop of medical students, several of whom were standing behind him as he spoke at an Oshawa hospital.
He said, “I’m trying to backdate this for a year or two because I’m sure some of you have debt from medical school.”
Looking at Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy, Ford added: “Can you hear that, Mr. Moneybags?”
