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Petition - International Medical Graduates (IMGs)

Apr 4, 2008

Dear Constituents:

As the MPP for Thornhill, I am working hard to hold the McGuinty government to account.  I am fighting for them to follow through on their long standing commitment to improve the health care system of this province and address the issue of physician shortages

The Government predicts the population of the Golden Horseshoe will expand by over 3 million people in the next 20 years. Action needs to be taken now to ensure the appropriate plans and mechanisms are in place to ensure this increase in population does not translate into increased wait times and decreased access to physicians.  Many newcomers to Ontario possess professional abilities they want to put to good use, including many who are trained as physicians in their country of origin.

International Medical Graduates (IMGs) are forced to make their way through a variety of obstacles before they can practice medicine in Canada.  Each year, nearly 2,000 individuals compete for the roughly 170 residency positions designated for IMGs.  As a result, it can take years for IMGs to receive their license to practice medicine in Ontario.  All the while, the shortage of physicians becomes increasingly acute.

Thornhill, York region, and all of Ontario deserve better from the McGuinty government.  We are in need of fresh thinking to address the problem of physician shortages.  More needs to be done to increase the number of residency positions available in our medical schools to both domestic and international medical graduates.

I trust you will add your name to the following petition and support my efforts in the fight for better health care in Thornhill. Following you will find a petition for consideration.

Sincerely,


Peter Shurman

PS. Please note that any petition introduced in the Ontario Legislature may not be a photocopy but rather needs to be an original.

PETITION

TO The Legislative Assembly of Ontario: -

WHEREAS, Ontario is experiencing a critical shortage of physicians in communities across the province,

WHEREAS, each year thousands of International Medical Graduates apply for a severely limited number of residency positions in Ontario?s medical schools;

WHEREAS, International Medical Graduates encounter unnecessary obstacles preventing them from practicing medicine in Ontario; and

WHEREAS increasing access for International Medical Graduates to medical school residency spaces is an important step in addressing the issue of physician shortages. 

WE the undersigned petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows: -

TO COMMIT TO IMMEDIATELY equitably increase the number of medical residency positions to both domestic and internationally-trained medical graduates.

 

Name (printed)

Address (printed)

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A Message From Peter
Thank you for visiting www.petershurman.com. This website has been designed specifically with you in mind to help connect you to the various services and activities available in the riding of Thornhill and Ontario and to also show you first hand what I am working on.
I also want you to think of this website as another avenue to let me know what is important to you. I encourage you to browse this site as you will find local and provincial updates and information. 
It is my privilege to represent you and I welcome your comments and feedback. You can reach my Thornhill office at 905-731-8462, my Queen’s Park office at 416-325-1415, or email me at peter.shurmanco@pc.ola.org.
It is my job to make sure the people of Thornhill are well represented and I can assure you it is a job I take very seriously.
Thank you again for visiting the site and if there is anything that I can do to help please do not hesitate to contact my office and speak with Noah, Ari or Debbie.
Thank you again!
Sincerely,

Peter Shurman, MPP
Thornhill
 

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