The provincial government is moving forward with new legislation that will make it easier for out-of-province doctors to get licenced in NL.
The proposed amendments to the Medical Act, which are being touted by Premier Andrew Furey as a first in the country, will essentially create a fast track for doctors with equivalent training and experience to get a licence here, without the extensive paperwork and other costly processes, albeit with some restrictions in place.
Two new registration categories will be added, Associate Registration and Clinical Assistant Registration. Both of those will require the physician to have oversight and sponsorship by a Regional Health Authority.
The Minister of Health, through regulations, will determine the qualifications, jurisdictions, and schools that would qualify for the program. As such, a panel, which will include doctors and nurses, will be struck to advise the minister on registration.
As well, under the legislation physicians who do not meet current requirements for registration, but do have important skills and competencies, will be allowed to register and begin work until the requirements are met.
Premier Andrew Furey says the legislation will be significant in that it will eliminate barriers that prevent good doctors from coming here. If he had to go through such extensive processes to practice in the United Kingdom, for example, Furey says simply “I’m not doing it.”
The bill also will give medical practitioners the ability to prescribe electronically, whereas right now they can only do so through the Pharmacy Network, as opposed to other e-prescribing services.