Human resources gaps and demand on the system means the province has had to look elsewhere to help fill immediate needs in the health care system.

That’s what’s behind a provincial government delegation to Ireland to meet with medical grads there, and a desk set up in India to recruit nursing graduates.

Premier Andrew Furey says they’re also looking at South Africa.

He says it’s another jurisdiction with similar training to Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Premier Furey says the province recognized the barriers to getting back in the country to practice for hundreds of Canadian medical students studying in Ireland and saw that as an opportunity. As a result, they’ve added five spots in MUN’s family practice training program, and graduating students are being made aware of the program here.

He says some of the red tape required to practice in Newfoundland and Labrador are barriers to in-migration. He provides as an example of what a family physician practicing in London, England might face before setting up in this province.

It starts with an English proficiency test, followed by significant amount of paperwork. They have to write basic medical tests harkening back to their early medical education, and training with an adjacent physician for six months. “We’re looking to eliminate that,” says Furey.