Canada/Grand Falls offers two scholarships to attract young doctors

The regional municipality of Grand Falls in northwestern New Brunswick is setting up two scholarships in conjunction with the Medical Education Foundation, to attract young doctors to practice in the community.

The first bursary, worth $6,000 a year for four years, will be awarded annually to a medical student.

There are only two criteria: bilingualism and a commitment to settle in Grand Falls for four years to practice family medicine or emergency medicine," explained Mayor Bertrand Beaulieu on the morning show Thursday.

The second bursary comes from an appeal to the community, which has already pledged $3,500. We're launching this and if it's positive, we'll keep it going," says the mayor.

The goal is to reach $10,000 a year for the next four years.

Positions to be filled

Like many communities in the province, the municipality of Grand Falls is sorely lacking in doctors.

According to Bertrand Beaulieu, 2,000 patients are without family doctors, and according to the Vitalité health network, there are four vacant family physician positions in the Grand Falls region, and three emergency physicians.

"We have to take the bull by the horns. We also have doctors on the verge of retirement, so we thought we had to do something," explains Bertrand Beaulieu.

The scholarships will be paid to the New Brunswick Medical Education Foundation, which will be responsible for finding candidates. This non-profit organization is already linked to a dozen municipalities in the province, and is made up of former doctors who are now retired.

source: ici.radio-canada.ca/