The migration of highly skilled health professionals from developing to developed nations has increased dramatically in the last ten years in response to a range of social, economic and political factors.
The consequences of this shift in health human resources are of critical importance to health outcomes and the overall sustainability of health systems in many of these ‘source’ countries. These consequences have become much more salient in the ongoing debate about the reliance of some high income countries on health workers who migrate from lower income countries.
This website brings together the perspectives of health policy researchers and decision-makers who have an interest in the migration of health professionals from either a destination country or source country perspective.
Internationally Educated Health Professionals in Canada
Report Launch
“Brain Gain, Drain, and Waste: The Experience of Internationally Trained Health Professionals in Canada” was released by Dr. Ivy Lynn Bourgeault at the second biennial Canadian Society for the Sociology of Health/Société Canadienne de Sociologie de la Santé www.cssh-scss.ca in Ottawa on October 28, 2010.
The report outlines the findings of a new research study which looks at the personal experiences of immigrant physicians, nurses and midwives as they navigate the Canadian certification process.
The launch was attended by representatives of immigrant assistance organizations, the Association of International Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, the federal Department of Citizenship and Immigration, Health Canada, local community resource centres, HealthForceOntario, medical faculties and local hospitals.
Along with a presentation of the key findings the launch was accompanied by a screening of ‘The Big Wait’, a documentary which looks at the issue of the doctor shortage in Canada from the perspective of three foreign doctors trying to work their way into the system.
Screening ‘The Big Wait’
The Producer Joanne Jackson and Immigration Integration Specialist Tharwat Awamleh joined Dr. Amin Lakhani, President of AIPSO (Association of Internationally Trained Physicians and Surgeons) and Dr. Ivy Lynn Bourgeault at a discussion following a screening of “The Big Wait”.
Among attendees from a variety of organizations, the launch and screening event was also attended by Elizabeth Payne of The Ottawa Citizen who followed-up with a thoughtful article, “We can’t afford to turn away talented doctors“.
In it, she says: “The juxtaposition of communities like Midland, which is desperate for physicians, and foreign-trained doctors who have very few chances to get a residency in Canada so that they can practise here, raises questions about whether there is a better way… For those Ontario residents who have come to rely on walk-in clinics or emergency rooms because they can’t find a doctor, failing to make room for excellent physicians surely doesn’t make sense.”
