City of Brampton requesting help from foreign-trained doctors amid COVID-19 pandemic
Published April 7, 2020 at 3:21 pm
Today, (April 7), Mayor Patrick Brown and City Councillors, Charmaine Williams and Harkirat Singh provided an update on the City of Brampton’s response to the COVID-19 emergency.
Today, (April 7), Mayor Patrick Brown and City Councillors, Charmaine Williams and Harkirat Singh provided an update on the City of Brampton’s response to the COVID-19 emergency.
Their announcement included discussing their requests to Ontario’s Minister of Health in regard to getting help from foreign-trained doctors to address Brampton’s health-care needs.
Tomorrow, (April 8), Councillor Williams, will present a motion to ask other cities to join Brampton in the fight against COVID-19 by getting help from foreign-trained doctors.
“Last month I called on Premier Ford and Minister Elliott to eliminate the barriers faced by foreign-trained Canadian qualified doctors to practice in Ontario so that they can help us fight the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Williams.
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“There are three main barriers; the cost of the examination process, the infrequency of the tests and the lack of hospital residencies made available to the foreign-trained doctors,” she said.
This is why Williams has started a petition to get immediate help from more doctors in the fight against COVID-19.
“We need all of these doctors on the front line not on the sidelines,” added Williams.
On January 23, the City of Brampton declared a health-care emergency, which is why Brown has emphasized that they need “all hands on deck” during this pandemic.
When asked why there may have been hesitancy to do this earlier, Brown told reporters that it’s not a question of talent or capabilities.
“It’s a monetary decision. There’s only so much in the health budget,” he said.
“In a time of a crisis like this, I really believe that we need to check concerns over the health budget at the door and make sure that we protect lives.”
Brown also added that many foreign-trained doctors are willing to begin helping immediately.
Williams is calling on those who agree with the need for more doctors now, to visit moredoctorsnow.ca, to sign the petition online and share their voices.
The City is committed to keeping Brampton residents informed and will continue to provide updates on the City’s response to COVID-19 as they become available.
For more information on the above decisions and the City’s efforts to support the community in response to COVID-19, visit www.brampton.ca/COVID19.
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