Ontario’s government has announced new regulations that will reduce the number of residency positions available to internationally trained doctors, despite facing a shortage of doctors. International medical graduates from countries such as the U.K., Australia, or the Caribbean must now have completed a minimum of two years of high school education in Ontario to be eligible for the province’s initial round of residency matching through CaRMS, the national agency responsible for placing doctors in residency programs.
The decision by the government has raised concerns among doctors across the province, with Toronto anesthesiologist Filipe Santos, who underwent international training, emphasizing the importance of having a diverse physician workforce that mirrors the general population. Residency applications vary widely based on specialization, province, and educational background, with international medical graduates typically undergoing one or more tests in preparation for the matching process.
According to Ontario Medical Association president Zainab Abdurrahman, the timing of the new rules has caused frustration for applicants as the first round of matching has already commenced. Previously, there were 1,200 residency spots available for international medical graduates in Ontario, but now the number has been reduced to 170.
Santos expressed discontent, indicating that the limited spots put undue pressure on internationally trained doctors to compete on unequal terms with their Canadian counterparts. While Ontario is the only province with such stringent eligibility criteria, other provinces like Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have their own application streams for internationally trained physicians with ties to the region.
The second round of matching in Ontario will include positions left unfilled from the initial round, where international medical graduates will not need to meet the high school education requirement. However, they will compete with Canadian-trained doctors who were unsuccessful in the first round.
In response to the criticism, a spokesperson for Ontario’s Ministry of Health stated that the changes aim to support residents with international medical degrees who were educated within the province, helping to bolster the healthcare workforce and improve access to care for Ontarians.
Despite the government’s efforts to address the doctor shortage and bring more professionals into the workforce, concerns remain about the unintended consequences of the new requirements. With approximately 2.5 million Ontarians lacking a family doctor, reducing the pool of applicants for residency spots could result in numerous positions remaining unfilled, exacerbating the existing healthcare challenges in the province.
The Ontario Medical Association has engaged in discussions with the government to address these concerns, emphasizing the need to maintain a steady influx of doctors to meet the healthcare needs of the population. Dr. David Barber, the OMA’s section chair of general and family practice, criticized the restrictions, highlighting the urgency of expanding opportunities for new doctors rather than restricting their access to residency programs.