Nova Scotia

McNeil calls for faster licensing of doctors looking to work in N.S.

Nova Scotia's premier is calling on medical colleges across Canada to modernize the way they license physicians. He says work underway in the Atlantic region is a start.

Comments come after CBC story about American ER doctor who has spent 1½ years trying to get licensed in N.S.

Premier Stephen McNeil says Dr. Thomas Dietz's case highlights doctor's struggles with the system. (CBC)

Nova Scotia's premier is calling on medical colleges across Canada to modernize the way they license physicians, and says work underway in the Atlantic region is a start.

Stephen McNeil made the comments after CBC News reported a qualified American physician now living in Lunenburg, N.S., has spent nearly a year and a half on paperwork.

Dr. Thomas Dietz wants to work in the community's emergency department, which was closed nearly 40 per cent of the time in the last reported fiscal year.

But one of Dietz's major hurdles was waiting six months for an organization to verify an internship he completed in the early 1980s.

The doctor questioned why they were communicating by mail instead of simply picking up the phone.

Dr. Thomas Dietz, an emergency room physician, has spent the last year and a half doing paperwork so that he can work in Nova Scotia. (Steve Lawrence/CBC)

McNeil, who spoke to the physician directly, said this case highlights the struggles with the system.

"I believe a lot of processes need to be modernized to ensure that they can move along a lot quicker," McNeil said of the paperwork required to get a license.

"There are many issues related to licensing in the province that are outside of government's control."

The head of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia told CBC that Dietz's delays fell under unique circumstances and his issues are not reflective of how the system works.

Dr. Gus Grant said the college is frequently reviewing its licensing process and he sees no need for significant change at the moment because it's ensuring the safety of Nova Scotians.

McNeil said the province has been working with the medical colleges in Atlantic Canada to create a single system that would allow mobility within the region.

"Hopefully, we'll achieve that," he said.

Calls for a single registry

McNeil said efforts should go further and would like to see a single registry across the country.

"If you are a physician in Nova Scotia, surely you should be able to be a physician in Ontario or British Columbia," he said.

"If you live in New Brunswick and have a licence in Nova Scotia, you have no privileges in New Brunswick. That makes absolutely no sense."

Health Minister Randy Delorey declined to answer direct questions about the case because of privacy reasons.

In the 2017-2018 fiscal year, the Nova Scotia Health Authority reported the emergency department at the Fishermen's Memorial Hospital in Lunenburg was closed for more than 3,400 hours, or 39 per cent of the year. This is where Dietz is looking to practise medicine. (Steve Lawrence/CBC)

But he agreed there is room for improvement to make it easier for qualified doctors to work in Nova Scotia.

"We've been listening to feedback from those physicians who have come through to change our approach and processes to make it easier for others," he said.

Delorey points to a special immigration stream that was created to bring physicians to Nova Scotia.

Dietz said that fast-track system wasn't an option for him because he needed his licence before he could use it.

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Carolyn Ray

Videojournalist

Carolyn Ray is a videojournalist who has reported out of three provinces and two territories, and is now based in Halifax. You can reach her at Carolyn.Ray@cbc.ca