The other day I was reading a thread about how to tackle the global shortage of doctors. Commenters were suggesting things like higher pay, more benefits, longer vacations & these were all good ideas but it blew my mind that not a single person in thousands of comments suggested we pay for school. Not a single commenter seemed to understand that the biggest hurdle is that medical school costs over $150,000 in Canada and for the vast majority of people, that eliminates it as a possibility .
@godlessmom
That does sound a good idea, however may want to add the condition that if the Canadian taxpayers pays for your medical training, then you owe it to the country to work there and practice medicine for a minimal amount of time.
Otherwise you will get people taking the training, then moving to another country, not paying taxes in Canada and other countries getting the benefit.
Mitigate the risk BEFORE it happens.
@zleap @godlessmom I'm inclined to disagree on this point. When education is free, it removes the burden of financial stress for young people and opens up big doors for the smart but less wealthy. Not starting life with that kinda debt enables them to better support their families and communities.
Medical students also go through years of prac, where they form industry bonds that become the foundation of their career.
And if some people want to travel, whether while studying or after graduating, let them. The experience they bring back will add to a higher quality of care. And if they choose to dedicate their lives to something like MSF, then that's a worthy cause.
As climate change continues, our planet needs more healthcare professionals. If we have a commitment from a lot of governments to provide N free placements per year then it evens out.