Premiers urged to tackle med school debt loads

[Guest ploughboy]

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Premiers urged to tackle med school debt loads

 

By TERRY WEBER

 

Wednesday, August 10, 2005 Updated at 12:51 PM EDT

 

Globe and Mail Update

 

Groups representing Canadian medical students want the country's premiers to press Ottawa for student-loan relief, arguing that high debt loads could keep many from entering much-needed fields such as family medicine or practising in rural communities.

 

The nation's provincial and territorial premiers are meeting this week in Banff. The premiers met with aboriginal leaders on Tuesday and are expected to begin formal talks on Thursday. The session concludes Friday.

 

Already some have indicated that education funding is high on the list of topics for discussion, alongside funding from Ottawa and potential changes to daylight savings time.

 

In an open letter issued Wednesday by groups representing medical students as well as interns and residents, the premiers were urged to take on the issue of student-loan relief for those attending or recently graduated from medical school.

 

The Canadian Association of Interns and Residents and the Canadian Federation of Medical Students have asked the first ministers to lobby Ottawa for measures they say will help ease the financial burden and give them more latitude in where practice and what fields they eventually enter.

 

"We propose that interest-free status on Canada Student Loans be extended to medical residents and that repayment of interest and principal be postponed until completion of the postgraduate residency period," the groups said.

 

Such a move, they argue, would ease the load on medical residents, who are not fully licensed to practice but still have to repay student loans throughout their residency — a period that lasts five years on average.

 

"As the next generation of physicians who will serve the needs of Canadians, we believe that government at all levels must ensure that a medical education is accessible and affordable," the groups said.

 

Failure to take action, they add, could affect the structure of the health-care system, forcing young doctors to opt for surgical specialties over family medicine or to work in urban centres rather than rural communities because of their debt loads.

 

Shortages of both family doctors and rural physicians have long been a concern in many regions of the country.

 

As well, the groups say, past research has shown a correlation between increases in medical school tuition and a decrease in the number of students enrolling from low-income families.

 

Meanwhile, Saskatchewan Premier Lorne Calvert said Wednesday that it would be premature to demand extra cash from Ottawa for post-secondary education funding in general without a little more study first. Some students groups have urged the premiers to press for dedicated education transfer payments for post-secondary education.

 

"I never think we should just come and say we need more money," Mr. Calvert said. "I think the provinces, territories and federal governments need to sit down and say to each other, 'What are the highest priority needs?' for Canadians."

 

The Quebec government wants a consensus from the leaders to push Ottawa for $4-billion in annual transfer payments. Premier Jean Charest said the federal government must do the same for education funding as it did for health care.

 

"As a first step, we're asking the federal government to re-establish funding at the same level as it was before the cuts which were unilaterally made," Mr. Charest said.

 

 

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Globe and Mail

[Guest noncestvrai]

That will be a good move, to get the money that seems to be "sleeping" in Ottawa. I doubt Martin will save Charest...here in Qc, he will be faced with lots of union "issues"...

 

Let's see how it goes.

 

noncestvrai

[Guest orlinmyer]

I wonder if they will do that for dentists also, because they typically have about double the debt load when they're done schooling. They should get relief also.

[Guest studentz]

"We propose that interest-free status on Canada Student Loans be extended to medical residents and that repayment of interest and principal be postponed until completion of the postgraduate residency period," the groups said.

 

Dentists don't have residencies and they reach their earning potential much quicker.

 

The entire OSAP structure as it relates to medical students needs to be examined. The 60/40 split in the release of funds is horrible, especially since Millennium Bursaries are distributed in their entirety in Jan. It may work if tuition is $4000 or so, but my minimum payment to register is nearly equal to the maximum OSAP entitlement for a year!