The provincial government has given Hamilton’s doctor shortage a new injection of life.

The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care will now allow International Medical Graduates (IMG) to stay in the same community that they have earned their Canadian postgraduate degrees in. The province also essentially eliminated the underserviced areas policy, except for Ontario’s northern and rural communities. It required physicians who received provincial help, to serve in underserviced areas for five years in return for the financial assistance from the province. IMGs will be able to practice anywhere in the province except for Ottawa and Toronto.

The changes, announced last week means Hamilton, which has a deficit of about 40 doctors, can now start recruiting foreign-born doctors immediately. The city will now be able to compete with Halton, which was classified by the province as an underserviced area. Under the province’s formula, about 40,000 Hamilton residents don’t have a family doctor.

“This is fabulous,” said Jane Walker, Hamilton’s physician recruiter specialist. “(The announcement) speaks volumes for the success of our city’s lobbying efforts.”

Mayor Fred Eisenberger echoed her comments, and praised the entire physician recruitment committee, which included politicians, business people and McMaster University representatives, for their hard work over the last six years to get the province to change its policies regarding doctors.

Even though Hamilton has a physician shortage, the city wasn’t considered an underserviced area. The reason Hamilton had been classified by the province as not being underserviced was due to McMaster University’s teaching hospital.

The announcement by the province last week will “open up the door” for the city to start recruiting IMGs, said Walker. She already has a line on seven potential foreign-born doctors who have already indicated they would like to practice in Hamilton. They graduate in June.

The city’s ability to already close the gap in its doctor shortage pleased Health Minister Deb Matthews.

“Hamilton is a big winner here,” said Matthews in an interview. “They will be able to start recruiting with return of service obligations by the physicians. I’m thrilled about the seven potential new doctors. I did not know about that. That is what this program is all about.”

She said about one-quarter of Ontario’s physicians are foreign-born, and are increasingly important to the province’s medical institutions. The program is scheduled to begin April 1, she said.

Hamilton’s doctor shortage has been growing acute over the last six years, when the city created its physician recruitment program. As of last year the average family physician is 52.2 years of age. There are 49 doctors in their 20s and 30s, compared to 116 doctors in their 50s, and 60 doctors in their 60s. There are 24 doctors 70 years of age and older.

Stoney Creek is short 19 family physicians, while Flamborough needs 10 additional doctors, followed by Glanbrook and Ancaster with a shortage of nine. Hamilton has a net loss of eight doctors.