Two universities in Nova Scotia are teaming up to help address a doctor shortage in rural communities.
Cape Breton University is partnering with Dalhousie Univesity in Halifax to create five new medical school seats this September.
The province says the goal of the pilot program is to get more doctors to practise in Cape Breton and in rural regions.
“We need transformational change and out-of-the-box solutions to create the healthcare system Nova Scotians need and deserve,” Premier Tim Houston says in a news release. “Thursday’s announcement is the kind of innovative partnership that will see more family doctors practising on Cape Breton Island and in rural communities, where we know they are needed.”
CBU will work with Dalhousie to choose students from Dal’s Medical School wait-list for the 2022-23 academic year to fill the new seats.
To get into the program you must commit to practicing family medicine in rural Nova Scotia, including anywhere in Cape Breton, for five years.
In March, CBU’s strategic health initiative received $5 million from the province to help recruit more healthcare workers in rural areas.
Currently, 92,000 Nova Scotians are on the waitlist for a family doctor.
