Family Medicine Residency Initiative for Communities in Newfoundland and Labrador

Fact Sheet
February 2011

News Release: Harper Government Announces Funding to Support New Family Medicine Positions in Newfoundland and Labrador

To support Newfoundland and Labrador's health human resource strategy and help address the ongoing challenge to recruit and retain family physicians in rural areas, the Government of Canada will provide funding to support up to 16 additional family medicine residency positions in the province over six years.

Funding for this project will provide residents with enhanced training in selected communities with populations under 15,000. Residents being placed in these communities will benefit from enhanced rural content within their curriculum, resulting in family medicine physicians who are better prepared for practice in rural communities. The added exposure to these communities will also help to encourage residents to stay and work in these areas after the completion of their medical training.

The province will work with Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador to carry out this project. Since the Family Medicine Training Program at Memorial University was established in 1973 with the objective to train family physicians to work in rural areas of Canada, it has had considerable success in preparing graduates to enter rural practice.

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.