Doctor warns of surgery delays if Saudi residents forced to leave

The head of orthopedic surgery at the Halifax Infirmary says surgeries may have to be cancelled if Saudi medical residents are forced to leave the country as has been demanded by Saudi Arabia's crown prince.

Saudi Arabia is recalling its nationals as a protest against what it considered an offensive tweet by Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland in which she called for the immediate release of human rights activists who are imprisoned in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi residents make up a significant portion of the residents in a number of hospital departments, according to Dr. Bill Oxner.:

• Twenty-four Saudis work in the surgery department, which is about one-third of medical trainees in that department.
• Six of 19 residents in orthopedic surgery are Saudi.
• Three of the six residents in cardiac surgery are Saudi.

In total, there are 59 Dalhousie medical school residents from Saudi Arabia.

"Each of them provides very valuable service," said Oxner. "Our surgical residents are known for their hard work and they put many, many hours in per week."

Oxner said if the Saudi residents leave, it will force the residents who remain, and surgeons to work much longer hours. He said this might be manageable in the short term, but not in the long run.

Response from Nova Scotia Health Authority

In a statement, the Nova Scotia Health Authority said it's working with doctors, Dalhousie University and the Department of Health and Wellness (DHW) to identify potential gaps and ensure continuous clinical care.

"Once gaps are fully identified we will be meeting with our colleagues at Dalhousie and DHW to discuss, finalize and implement next steps," said spokesperson Kristen Lipscombe. "We expect that to happen in next day or so."

Saudi students have been given until Aug. 31 to return home.

In an email to Dalhousie medical residents, Andrew Warren, the university's associate dean of medical residents, recommended that "all affected Saudi residents be released from their responsibilities in order to make preparations for returning to Saudi Arabia as per the directive."

A hope for a renewed partnership

Warren said it's been a pleasure working with all of the affected students, and noted the university has a long history of welcoming Saudi residents into its programs.

"We value their contributions that have greatly benefitted our academic and health care communities," he said. "We hope that Canadian universities can someday renew their partnership with the KSA [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia] in training medical residents.

Warren said for the remaining medical residents, the university is committed to ensuring their training is not compromised by this decision.

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