Our What If....IMG question prompts lots of opinions and another question that goes to the heart of the matter

Of all the What If stories presented in the Medical Post to date, none have drawn the level of reaction seen with the current question What If...Canada didn’t rely on International Medical Graduates (IMGs).And midst all the opinions and perspectives offered, one question surfaced that takes the discussion to an entirely new level.And that question is “do we need the IMG designation at all?”After all, regardless of how they become an MD here, aren’t all doctors the same? Is the IMG designation offensive and belittling to anyone who has studiedoutside of Canada? In fact, is it in some way prejudicial, indicating a different standard of care or skill set?Dr. Varagunan Mahadevan of Uxbridge, Ont. asks why are we stereotyping IMGs as new arrivals or temporary solutions? He cites St. Anthony, NL and other areas of the province where many of the doctors practising are IMGs, and have been in that community for years, sometimes decades. Why single them out when they have been part of the community fabric for so long?Predictably, many commenters noted that if we did a better job of educating and placing our own doctors, there wouldn’t be the demand for IMGs or crisis we face today, especially in rural and remote areas where many IMGs take up practice. Says Dr. Henry Chen of Edmonton: “ If Canada wants more doctors, then train them, and even more importantly, create conditions that make them want to stay and work in Canada afterwards.” Dr. Michael Rieder of London, Ont. agrees, saying: “we as a nation need to make the moral commitment to train enough doctors for our own needs—period—and not to rely on the fact that people want to move to Canada.”LMCC examiner Dr. Charles Cheng of Vancouver speaks to the gates IMGs must go through to gain physician status in Canada, and asks “ Not wanting to reduce our limited resources any further, perhaps we should look at ourselves in the mirror and ponder whether some of us in Canada would even qualify under the current system if we had to go through the same gates as the IMGs.”The issues, challenges and circumstances surrounding IMGs in Canada is a topic that long will be in the headlines, says Medical Post editor Colin Leslie. “Some of it is borne of anger, and frustration with system policies and procedures around licensing. Some of it is purely analytical, and more than its share comes from the gratitude Canadians have to have IMGs in their communities. And yes, some of it is about the stereotyping the label brings with it. And that’s not going to go away anytime soon.”Answer our new IMG pollRead the original story

Our What If....IMG question prompts lots of opinions and another question that goes to the heart of the matter

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