B.C. rule forcing foreign-trained doctors to work in remote areas illegal, court says
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VANCOUVER — A British Columbia Supreme Court judge has ruled that the province’s requirement for medical graduates of programs outside Canada to work in “underserviced” areas is illegal.
Justice Matthew Kirchner says in a decision posted Friday that the provincial government does not have the legal right to impose its “return to service” requirement on those seeking to apply for residency training from non-Canadian schools.
Graduates of non-Canadian programs are required to sign an agreement to practise in rural or remote locations in B.C., something not required of Canadian medical school graduates.
The decision stems from a petition by several parties who challenged aspects of the “two-stream system,” where graduates of Canadian schools have more access to residency programs in B.C.
