Family Medicine Residency Initiative for Communities in British Columbia

Fact Sheet
February 2011

News Release: Harper Government Announces Funding to Support New Family Medicine Positions in British Columbia

To support British Columbia's health human resources strategy and help address the ongoing challenge of access to physicians in select areas, the Government of Canada will provide funding to support approximately 20 new residencies in family medicine over five years.

The initiative will allow British Columbia to expand its International Medical Graduates (IMG) BC Program in Family Medicine program, and will create new positions that will be open to qualified medical graduates. All new positions will be in family medicine and will be distributed to health authorities that include select/rural communities.

In addition to new residencies, five new distributed training sites are to be established. These sites based in select communities will become valuable locations for mentoring, networking and training for the residents and supervising physicians.

The Province will work with the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Medicine to carry out this project. This project will provide family medicine residents with the skills needed to provide comprehensive integrated family medicine services to better meet the needs of select communities.

Today's announcement encompasses a total federal investment of $39.5 million under the Pan-Canadian Health Human Resources Strategy. This strategy supports and facilitates innovation in health human resources to help bring about an adequate supply of health care providers while promoting optimal working conditions for Canada's health workforce.

• Ontario will be provided up to $11 million to support 60 additional training positions in emergency medicine or enhanced skills in collaboration with the Ontario-based Faculties of Medicine.
• Nunavut will be provided up to $4.9 million to support the creation of up to eight additional family medicine residencies in the Territory in collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine at Memorial University in Newfoundland and Labrador.
• In 2010, the University of Manitoba received up to $6.9 million for training 15 additional family medicine residents by expanding its Northern and Remote Family Medicine Residency Program.
• British Columbia will be provided approximately $5.9 million to support the creation of up to 20 additional residencies assigned throughout the Province in collaboration with the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Medicine.
• Newfoundland and Labrador will be provided up to $4.5 million to support up to 16 new family medicine residents in collaboration with Faculty of Medicine at Memorial University in Newfoundland and Labrador.
• New Brunswick will be provided up to $2.8 million to support up to an additional six residencies with enhanced training in emergency and acute care in collaboration with Dalhousie University's Faculty of Medicine in Nova Scotia.
• Saskatchewan will be provided up to $3.4 million to support up to six new residencies with enhanced training in anaesthesia or surgery in collaboration with the University of Saskatchewan's College of Medicine.