Nova Scotia continuing to target British doctors

Staff from the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration, Nova Scotia Health Authority and Nova Scotia College of Physicians and Surgeons have headed back to the UK this week to continue efforts to recruit more doctors to the province.

“Recruiting doctors to the province helps more Nova Scotians access important health-care services,” said the province’s Immigration Minister, Lena Metlege Diab. “I am very pleased that since launching the Physician Immigration Stream last February, 25 doctors have been recruited to live and work in Nova Scotia.”

The 20 family GPs and five specialists are working, or will be working, in communities across the province. Five of those doctors, from the UK, recently started practising in Dartmouth, accepting thousands of patients from the waiting list.

Also joining the latest upcoming recruitment mission will be Dr Jeremy Hillyard, medical site lead for St Martha’s Regional Hospital in Antigonish and Keri McAdoo, deputy registrar, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia.

Representatives will meet one-on-one in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh with doctors over several days to discuss immigration and employment options.

“We are really excited about the high level of interest shown from international doctors,” said Dr Hillyard. “I’m looking forward to meeting with these candidates one-on-one. It can be daunting to consider a new job and country, I hope the one-on-one meetings and sharing my personal experience can help with that. Being able to offer a streamlined immigration path is key to attraction.”

Article published 19th March 2019