The announcement of new medical school spaces includes 30 undergraduate and 41 postgraduate positions at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine
The provincial government announced a major expansion to the number of spots available at Ontario’s medical schools today. Over the next five years, 160 new undergraduate and 295 new postgraduate positions will open at medical schools across the province, including 30 undergraduate and 41 postgraduate positions at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM). This will help to ensure that there are enough doctors to meet the growing healthcare needs of patients in Northern Ontario and across the province.
“Ontarians deserve access to high-quality healthcare no matter where they live, and we know that northern communities struggle to find enough doctors. I am so pleased to see the Northern Ontario School of Medicine is included in this announcement because it means that people in Parry Sound – Muskoka will be able to receive the care they need from physicians trained in their own communities. I am a long-time supporter of NOSM and I believe this expansion will play a crucial role in addressing the doctor shortage in northern communities,” said MPP Norman Miller.
This is the largest expansion of medical education in Ontario in over 10 years.
The announcement comes after the Village of Sundridge passed a resolution calling on the provincial government to increase the capacity of NOSM to address the shortage of doctors in Northern Ontario in November 2021. At this year’s Rural Ontario Municipalities Association Conference, representatives from the Village of Sundridge Council met with the Minister of Colleges and Universities to advocate for more medical school spaces at NOSM.
“Doctors are the key to achieving equitable health care in Northern Ontario. The Village of Sundridge and its regional partners have suffered from the doctor shortage and the extremely competitive recruiting process small towns must engage in,” said Lyle Hall, Mayor of the Village of Sundridge. “Our community is pleased to hear our lobbying efforts, along with those of our MPP, Norm Miller, have been rewarded with 71 more medical school positions at NOSM to meet the needs of the North. This is a powerful response to our Village needs and addresses the growing problems with health care capacity here and across Ontario.”
