Abhinaya Yedala’s plan to become a family doctor and build a life in Nova Scotia is coming to fruition, but she says she almost gave up and left the province because of a requirement that added more than two years to the process.
Yedala, originally from India, is now a resident in family medicine at a clinic in New Glasgow. She completed her undergraduate degree in the UK before moving to Malaysia to start medical school. After two years, she transferred to Dalhousie University and became an MD in Canada in 2019.
But she had to wait almost two and a half years before taking the next step in her career, thanks to the requirement now in place in most Canadian provinces that she obtain permanent resident status before applying for her medical residency.
She said that this tedious and long process almost drove her away.
“It was very stressful, it was very frustrating,” Yedala said. “There was this fear of what would happen if I didn’t get what I wanted in Canada, what would I do then? So a lot of uncertainty because there was no guarantee.”
Abrupt change in policy for medical residents
According to the Canadian Resident Matching Service, each province is responsible for its own additional eligibility criteria. Currently, every province except Quebec accepts only Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Quebec also accepts US citizens and students with a visa.
When Yedala and her classmates first decided to come to Canada, the International Medical University of Malaysia had an agreement with Dalhousie University. It will send approximately five students a year to complete their studies in Atlantic Canada and spend their medical residency at Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Yedala said she is now talking about her classmates who had to leave Canada, as well as prospective international students. (Submitted by Abhinaya Yedala)
Yedala said at the time that Newfoundland and Labrador does not require permanent resident status for international students starting their residency. That policy was abruptly changed before she graduated, forcing students to decide whether to try for permanent residency or leave the country.
“They were disappointed because they all came wanting to be doctors in Canada, otherwise they would have chosen the UK,” she said. “They had other options … they chose this, especially so they could stay in Canada.”
“Everybody’s Listening”
Yedala said she worked as a researcher and was waiting for her permanent residency because she planned to get married and put down roots in Nova Scotia. But it was a different story for most of her classmates, who did not have Canadian citizenship.
“Everyone who graduated with me except [one student] left,” she said. “That’s 18 doctors that we’ve lost especially from Nova Scotia, so it’s pretty unfortunate.”
Although she’s already gone through the hardest part of the process, Yedala said she wants to speak up for others. She said the current health care crisis in the province and the shortage of family doctors has her looking for a change.
“I feel like at this point when there’s a crisis and when everybody’s talking about it, I think it’s the right time to talk because everybody’s listening.”
If Nova Scotia wants more doctors, this medical resident says barriers to international doctors need to change
Abhinaya Yedala, a family medicine specialist originally from India, says the immigration status required for medical graduates to begin residency in Canada is turning Nova Scotia doctors away.
It’s unclear if the province will make changes
Yedala said it was easier for international students to start their residency in the UK or the US. In the US, once a student is matched to a residency position, they receive work assistance based on their immigration status.
“Which is a lot different than here because they want immigration status first,” she said.
“Which is a catch 22 because if you don’t have a job, immigration status isn’t going to happen.”
The CBC asked the provincial Department of Health and Wellness and the Health Professionals Recruitment Office if there was any intention to change the requirements to make it easier for Canadian medical graduates without Canadian citizenship to reside in Nova Scotia, but a spokesperson would not say.
Khalehla Perrault wrote in an email that demand for permanent residency spots is high and that all 113 spots funded by the province last year have been filled.
The province is funding 129 seats in 2023.
Perrault said officials from the Office of Health Recruiting are happy to speak with medical school graduates interested in working in the province’s health system.
“We want to hear about the barriers they face to better understand if changes are needed,” she wrote.
“They want to make Canada home”
Yedala said she has worked behind the scenes for years to try to grant exemptions or see policy change in Nova Scotia. She has spoken to politicians, universities and even the Canadian Resident Matching Service, without success.
But she said she’s glad to see a recent increase in communication between the province and health care stakeholders and hopes international doctors are considered part of the solution.
“They’re here for a reason, they want to make Canada home,” she said. “They’re not just here to get trained and leave. A lot of people are desperate to work as doctors here, and the province is desperate to have doctors, so there’s a match.”
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