12 October 1999

Honourable Elizabeth Witmer
Minister of Health and Long-Term Care
10th Floor, Hepburn Block
80 Grosvenor Street
Toronto ON M7A 2C4

By fax: (416) 326-1571
Pages: 9 including this cover letter

Dear Minister Witmer:

Re: The integration of foreign trained doctors into the Ontario health care system

I am writing to you on behalf of the steering committee of the Foreign Trained Doctors’ Association (FTDA) regarding the current crisis in the health care system in Ontario, and a related matter which is of great concern to the members of the FTDA, that is, the integration of foreign trained doctors into the Ontario health care system.

The FTDA was pleased to have an opportunity to meet with Dr McKendry in August to explain some of the barriers which prevent foreign trained doctors from practicing in Ontario, and to make a subsequent submission with further recommendations on how they can be effectively integrated. For your reference, both submissions are enclosed with this letter.

Given the current critical shortage of doctors in Ontario, it seems an appropriate moment to redress some of the policies on licensing foreign trained physicians which are no longer relevant to the current human resource realities. It is the position of the FTDA that, in addition to the practicality of utilizing the fully trained, and in many cases accredited though not licensed physicians already in Ontario, there are many economic and social benefits to be derived from the integration of foreign trained physicians and surgeons. Indeed, the fact that 25% of the practicing physicians in Ontario are foreign trained is compelling evidence of the potential contribution to the health care system offered by our members.

According to your own public statements on the issue, it appears that you are committed to investigating the barriers that prevent foreign trained doctors from working in Ontario, and to move forward the process of including them as part of the solution to the current shortage. As such, the FTDA requests to meet with you to begin discussions on how Ontario can best achieve this goal. We believe that a consultation including the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, the Ministry of Health, and the FTDA, as well as other significant stakeholders would be an important step in this process. We will, of course, make ourselves available for a meeting at your earliest convenience, given the importance of this issue to our membership and to the provision of timely and effective health care throughout the province.

In addition, as a stakeholder and participant in the process of the task force chaired by Dr McKendry, the FTDA kindly requests that a copy of Dr McKendry’s report be forwarded to our office.

And finally, as per our recommendation to Dr McKendry that foreign trained doctors be represented on the panel which is to be appointed by your Ministry to continue the process of investigating solutions to the shortage of doctors in Ontario, we formally request that the FTDA be appointed to this panel.

We look forward to your response to these requests, and thank you for your attention to these very critical issues.

Sincerely,
 

Elizabeth McIsaac
Project Coordinator
 

Encl.

cc. Honourable Michael D. Harris, Premier
      Honourable Dianne Cunningham, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities