The province is offering tuition relief, the Family Medicine Bursary and debt assistance to urban doctors in a bid to attract more physicians to Nova Scotia.
The three programs are also becoming available to those doctors working as locums or part-time, as well as their full-time colleagues.
The incentives were previously offered to doctors in rural areas but the expanded program includes those in urban settings.
“The debt new physicians bring into practice from their training is a great concern and assistance paying off that debt can significantly impact where they set up practice. We believe increasing these programs can do nothing but make Nova Scotia more attractive for new physicians,” said Dr. Caitlin Lees, president of Maritime Resident Doctors, in a release Tuesday.
The government’s Tuition Relief Program repays up to $120,000 of a physician's medical school tuition in exchange for a five-year commitment to work in Nova Scotia.
It is now also available to those doctors on full and defined licences, those with return of service agreements through the International Medical Graduate clerkship or residency programs and for those urban physicians who agree to provide coverage of under-serviced areas.
The Family Medicine Bursary provides residents $60,000 to establish a family practice in exchange for a three-year commitment to work in Nova Scotia. Other program changes give residents more choice through expanded practice location options and more time to select and finalize a practice site.
The Debt Assistant Plan offers eligible physicians who choose Nova Scotia between $20,000 and $45,000 of financial relief.
“We need family doctors in urban and rural communities. Removing these restrictions and expanding eligibility offers more choice and added incentive to practise in Nova Scotia,” said Minister of Health and Wellness Randy Delorey in a release.
The province also offers educational incentives for international medical graduates to help them prepare for and complete residency training before practising in Canada.
Participants in the International Medical Graduate clerkship and residency programs will also have more time to select a practice site.
Visit https://physicians.novascotia.ca/support.html for more information on the province's physician incentive programs.
