Nova Scotians hopeful new medical school will relieve health-care crisis
A day after Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston announced a second medical school for the province, people around Cape Breton are still celebrating.
Many feel it could be a game-changer when it comes to health-care services in the future.
“I think it's a great announcement for Cape Breton and actually a great announcement for Nova Scotia, but especially Cape Breton,” said David MacKeigan, a member of community group Bay It Forward.
MacKeigan’s group has attracted three doctors to the area over the past couple of years.
Pre-pandemic potential physicians would be taken on a tour of the Miners Museum, a boat ride along the shoreline and jigging for mackerel — a chance to be introduced to the people here.
MacKeigan says having the school in their own backyard will help with recruiting.
“It will be much easier. We will educate some of our own doctors, and when they're working with doctors here, they can be shown what Cape Breton is all about,” he said
Houston said the new school will be focused on training students from Nova Scotia, in particular from rural areas.
“We don't train enough physicians in Canada to replace the physicians who are retiring. The largest group of physicians practicing right now in Canada are the baby boomers and they'll be retiring soon, and we need people to step in and take those positions,” said Dr. Margaret Fraser.
The goal is to graduate up to 30 new doctors a year for at least the first six years.
Cape Breton University hopes to take over the Nova Scotia Community College near the campus, which is moving to downtown Sydney.
CBU President David Dingwall said the building will be home to the school of nursing, social work, and a new primary health clinic for up to 10,000 people.
Fraser says the new facility will help the province better deal with the current health-care crisis in the years to come.
“In the future, it absolutely will because there will be people coming here who want to work in the emergency department, people coming here who want to help train the next generation of emergency physicians, and if we train physicians here, we know that there's a greater chance they'll stay here,” she said.
The new medical school plans to open no later than the fall of 2025.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.