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
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
BREAKING 14 suspects arrested in grandparent scam targeting seniors across Canada: Ontario police
An interprovincial investigation into an 'emergency grandparents scam' that targeted seniors across Canada has led to the arrest of 14 suspects, Ontario Provincial Police say.
Motion to allow keffiyehs at Ontario legislature fails
A motion to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh within Queen’s Park failed to receive unanimous consent Thursday just moments after Ontario Premier Doug Ford reiterated his view that prohibiting the garment in the House is divisive.
B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Juror dismissed in Trump hush money trial as prosecutors ask for former president to face contempt
Prosecutors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump asked Thursday for the former president to be held in contempt and fined because of seven social media posts that they said violated a judge's gag order barring him from attacking witnesses.
Why drivers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see a gas price spike, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
It's the biggest election in history. Here's why few Indians in Canada will take part
In the Indian general election that gets underway on Friday, almost a billion people are eligible to vote, but a vast majority of the overseas Indian community in Canada won't be casting a ballot.