610 CKTB| Training the Away Team On Home Ice: Should Canada Invest in Foreign Doctors Over Canadians?

Jon Liedtke joined The Gene Valaitis Show on Niagara’s 610 CKTB to discuss a controversial Canadian program where Canadian universities’ medical schools, funded by foreign countries (of which Saudi Arabia currently makes up 50%), trains hundreds of international physicians annually who then return home credentialed as Canadian doctors.While this program generates an estimated millions for the universities – Saudi for example pays $100,000 per trainee – critics argue it’s ethically questionable, given the Saudi regime’s human rights record, and strategically flawed, as Canada already faces a severe doctor shortage, leaving millions of Canadians without a family doctor.The program is criticized for essentially training the away team – on home ice – who are contracted to leave, rather than investing the funds to create residency spots for thousands of Canadian medical graduates to address the ongoing issues in our healthcare system.