A Brampton councillor is asking the province to eliminate the barriers faced by foreign-trained doctors to practise in Ontario so they can help in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an open letter sent to Premier Doug Ford and Health Minister Christine Elliot, Ward 7 Coun. Charmaine Williams said that “red tape” and “artificial barriers” in place prevent international medical graduates from practising, even when many of them are qualified to do so.

“We need more doctors now,” said Williams, in an interview. “Ontario and Canada have thousands of foreign-trained doctors who have been denied the right to practise medicine here.”

Williams estimates that cutting the red tape, and in particular boosting residency positions, could add more than a thousand doctors in the province.

Critics and advocates have long complained about the competitive and difficult process for foreign doctors to be certified in Ontario. While the majority of doctors successfully pass the required exams to get certified, the majority are unable to land a residency position — a required step in obtaining a license to practice in Ontario.

In 2019, the Canadian Residency Matching Service, which is responsible for matching students to residency positions throughout Canada, reported that out of 1,758 international medical graduates, 1,360 went unmatched. Only 326 residency positions were available for foreign-trained professionals in the first round.

“That is a complete waste of talent that we need now, and as the pandemic ramps up in Ontario,” said Williams, who has started a petition at moredoctorsnow.ca to raise awareness of her campaign.

In her letter sent Monday, Williams said the province should move as quickly as possible to flatten the curve, and also “increase our capacity.”

In her letter, she asks that the province consider eliminating barriers, including: the cost of the examination process, which can add up to thousands of dollars and the lack of hospital residencies.

“We’re calling doctors and nurses out of retirement, why aren’t we calling foreign-trained doctors who are just waiting?” she said.

Citing recent statistics from the World Bank and the Canadian Institute for Health Information, Williams said that “Italy has 4.1 doctors per 1,000 people, while Canada has only 2.4 doctors per 1,000 people.”

Dr. Sohail Gandhi, president of the Ontario Medical Association, said his organization has “long advocated for additional numbers of physicians in Ontario” and has been working with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) to “find a solution that would allow for the rapid deployment of new physicians into our health care system.”

In direct response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the CPSO said it has taken steps to expedite licensing processes in an effort to get more physicians to the front lines. It said it will issue a “short duration certificate.” This allows for physicians licensed elsewhere in Canada to work in Ontario for 30 days under the close supervision of a Ontario licensed practitioner.

It has also taken steps to expedite the ability to issue a six-month “restricted certificate” to a final year medical resident who is unable to sit for the qualifying exams due to the pandemic.

“This is an evolving situation and the CPSO continues to work closely with our partners at the Ministry of Health and the OMA to ensure that we are providing the support and resources necessary to expand access to safe and appropriate care for Ontarians,” said a spokesman with the College.

Khalil Lakho, with the Association of International Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, a non-profit that lobbies for foreign-trained doctors, said many foreign-trained doctor are feeling restless as they watch the pandemic unfold around the world.

“The situation is really alarming,” said Lakho, the director of the Canadian Ultrasound Institute and Research Centre in Mississauga. “And here are people who are trained and qualified to help but simply can’t because they can’t get residencies,” he said.

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He says the association supports Williams’s efforts.

Lakho said he has heard from many who are going “back home” to fight the pandemic, instead of wasting their skills in Canada. “Some people are going as volunteers, others are going on behalf of organizations to help the local health care system,” said Lakho. “So why not here?”

The Ministry of Health was not able to confirm on Tuesday if it had seen Williams’s letter.

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