Internationally educated health-care workers finding it difficult to practise in Nova Scotia
There are a number of doctors and health care staff who recently arrived from Ukraine --- workers the Nova Scotia health-care system desperately needs.
But it seems getting credentials to practice in the province is proving to be a frustrating feat.
That’s why Dr. Aliks Shamlat finds himself at a career crossroads.
“Many people advised me to search for other work, but I am more than 50, I have many experiences in my life,” Dr. Shamlat says.
Most of the experiences he's talking about come from years of working as a general practitioner and gynecologist in Odessa, Ukraine.
He and his family landed in Halifax on June 23 after fleeing the Russian invasion. He was hopeful that a program run by the province to integrate Ukrainian health-care workers into its system would allow him to practice here, but he says he hasn't been getting the help he needs to become a part of the health-care industry.
“We can work, why not? We can work very hard. I’m thinking we can go to another job in the hospital. Not exactly like a doctor, maybe an assistant of the doctor, maybe an assistant for the laboratory, anything,” he says.
It’s those barriers and red tape facing health experts with international degrees that the leader of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party wants removed.
“We’ve got over 200 medical professionals here from Ukraine that I’ve heard are ready to work and eager to get going. We really do have to simplify the certification process without jeopardizing standards,” Zach Churchill says.
The standards Churchill refers to are the same ones Schamalat says he’s trying to reach.
“I asked, maybe I will go to some courses in Canada (to) improve in my level of experience or knowledge, but they don’t want (me to),” says Dr. Shamlat.
Data released by the province shows 4,300 people found a family practice last month. However, 5,500 people added their names to the registry looking for a doctor, an increase of 4.6 per cent. As of August 1, more than 105,000 Nova Scotians are on the registry, without a family doctor.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.