Health minister visits Kitchener to promote new health-care programs

Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Sylvia Jones speaks in Kitchener on July 24. (Dan Lauckner/CTV News Kitchener)

A new provincial program is looking to make it easier for internationally educated physicians to work in Ontario while retaining both new and experienced nurses in the province.

On Monday, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Sylvia Jones was in Kitchener to announce the provincal launch of three new programs aimed at allowing trained medical professionals to start work immediately when they arrive in Ontario.

“Our government is growing our health care workforce to make it easier for people to connect to the care they need for years to come,” Jones said in a news release. “These new initiatives will allow international physicians to work sooner, support experienced nurses to share their skills and knowledge, and explore innovative ways to grow our workforce for future generations.”

As of Monday, new “as of right” rules come into effect, making Ontario the first province to allow physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists and medical laboratory technologists already registered or licensed in another Canadian jurisdiction to start work immediately when they arrive, the province said.

This means the health-care workers can immediately work without having to first register with one of Ontario’s health regulatory colleges.

The program allows for the medical professionals to begin practicing without having to first register with one of Ontario’s health regulatory colleges.

According to the province, these changes will help health care workers overcome bureaucratic delays that have made it difficult to practice in Ontario.

The province said since 2018, there have been 63,000 new nurses and nearly 8,000 new doctors registered to work in Ontario.

Last year, over 15,000 new nurses registered to work and care for people in Ontario – a new record in the province – and another 27,000 nurses are studying at a college or university, ensuring there is a pipeline of talent for the future, the province said.