Doug Ford extends term of Ontario's top civil servant
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Star
7 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Doug Ford extends term of Ontario's top civil servant
Premier Doug Ford, right, and then-Trillium Health Partners Hospital CEO and President Michelle DiEmanuele show off the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at Trillium Health Partners during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mississauga on Dec. 30, 2020. Nathan Denette THE CANADIAN PRES
Winnipeg Free Press
11 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Foreign medical residents fill critical positions at US hospitals, but are running into visa issues
Some hospitals in the U.S. are without essential staff because international doctors who were set to start their medical training this week were delayed by the Trump administration's travel and visa restrictions. It's unclear exactly how many foreign medical residents were unable to start their assignments, but six medical residents interviewed by The Associated Press say they've undergone years of training and work only to be stopped at the finish line by what is usually a procedural step. 'I don't want to give up,' said a permanent Canadian resident who matched to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Harrisburg but had her visa denied because she is a citizen of Afghanistan. She requested to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal. 'But the situation also seems so helpless.' Initially, the medical community was worried that hundreds of positions — many in hospitals in low-income or rural areas of the U.S. — could be affected. The pause on interviews for J-1 visas for approved work or study-related programs was lifted in mid-June. The national nonprofit that facilitates the residency match process said the visa situation is resolving, but it will take weeks to know with confidence how many medical residents have had the start of their careers derailed because they got their visa too late or were blocked by President Donald Trump's travel ban on 12 countries, according to people who coordinate the residents' training. Four foreign medical residents told the AP that U.S. embassies have been slow to open up interview slots — and some have not opened any. 'You lose out on the time you could have used to treat patients,' said one resident from Pakistan, who matched to an internal medicine program in Massachusetts and requested to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal. Thousands of foreign medical residents fill gaps in U.S. hospitals The U.S. is projected to face a physician shortage in the next 11 years, per the Association of American Medical Colleges, and foreign medical residents fill critical gaps in the health care system. More than 6,600 foreign-born international medical residents matched into U.S. programs in 2025 — the highest on record — and another 300 filled positions that were vacant after the match process was complete. Not all of those residents were affected by visa issues or the travel ban on foreign nationals from countries including Afghanistan, Haiti and Sudan. International medical graduates often take jobs in places where U.S. medical trainees tend not to go, said Donna Lamb, president of the National Resident Matching Program. 'It's not just that they're coming in and they want to work in big, flashy centers on the coast,' Lamb said. 'They're truly providing health care for all of America.' Foreign medical residents work in specialties that U.S. applicants aren't as eager to apply to. For example, international candidates make up almost 40% of residents in internal medicine, which specializes in the prevention and treatment of chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease. 'The residents are the backbone of the entire hospital,' said Dr. Zaid Alrashid from Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center in New York, which has medical residents from almost every continent. Most received their visas prior to the pause but a few were caught up in delays. Two residents from India who spoke on condition of anonymity have not been able to get an appointment at any U.S. embassies there despite the J-1 visa pause being lifted. Another resident from Egypt just secured a visa appointment for mid-August but is worried her program may not be willing to wait for her. She's already paid her security deposit for an apartment in Texas to live during her residency. 'I don't know when this situation will be resolved,' said the resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, adding she hasn't been eating or sleeping well. Hospitals waiting for residents to arrive In California, leaders at two graduate medical education programs said they have a small number of residents caught up in J-1 visa delays. Both spoke on condition of anonymity due to concerns for the doctors who are still trying to get visas. A residency leader at one large health care system said two doctors in its 150-resident program are delayed, adding they could start late or defer to next year. A 135-person program at a California public health system told the AP that one resident has yet to arrive, though he was finally scheduled for a visa interview. 'We are not going to breathe easy until he's here in our hospital,' the second leader said. As of Wednesday, Lamb's matching program had received fewer than 20 requests to defer or cancel residency contracts. Worried about losing their spots if they defer, many foreign medical residents may keep trying to get to the U.S. and start their residencies late, said Dr. Sabesan Karuppiah, a past member of the American Medical Association's International Medical Graduates Governing Council and former director of a large residency program. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. Some hospitals may struggle at this point to replace the residents who don't make it, leaving fewer people to care for the same number of patients, said Kimberly Pierce Burke, executive director of the Alliance of Independent Academic Medical Centers. Foreign medical trainees who've made it into the U.S. remain on edge about their situations, Karuppiah said. 'I can tell you the word on the street is: 'Do not leave the country,'' he said, adding that people are missing out on important events, seeing sick parents or even getting married. 'Everybody's scared to just leave, not knowing what's going to happen.' —- The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Global News
16 hours ago
- Global News
Federal auditors target vaccine injury program amid surprise Oxaro office visit
The federal government has launched a compliance audit to determine if an Ottawa consulting company is mismanaging the Vaccine Injury Support Program (VISP), and Public Health Agency of Canada officials made a surprise visit to the firm's offices in mid-June, Global News has learned. A five-month-long Global News investigation of the VISP program triggered the audit and downtown Ottawa office visit by PHAC officials to check the consulting firm's work managing thousands of vaccine injury claims filed by Canadians, according to a confidential source familiar with the matter. Staff from the Public Health Agency of Canada conducted a visit to Oxaro/VISP offices in downtown Ottawa on June 17. That was after Global started asking questions about program administration by its hired consultants and sent letters seeking comments. Oxaro's five-year funding agreement with PHAC is up for renewal next year and the audit raises the possibility that the company could see a shorter contract extension, or not have it renewed at all if it does not pass the compliance audit. The government could also strengthen Oxaro staffing and training requirements. Story continues below advertisement The confidential source said that PHAC officials will continue to visit Oxaro's VISP offices 'on short notice and in-person to ensure that performance standards are met.' Global News agreed to not identify the source because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the site visits or compliance audit, though they are familiar with details about them. PHAC spokesman Mark Johnson confirmed the surprise June 17 Oxaro office visit by agency staff. 'PHAC has initiated the process for a compliance audit of the Oxaro-administered VISP,' he added. Oxaro did not respond to an emailed request for comment about the audit and site visit. The Vaccine Injury Support Program was created during the COVID-19 pandemic's early days. The effort was designed to support and compensate people who have been seriously and permanently injured by any Health Canada-authorized vaccine administered in Canada on or after Dec. 8, 2020. Get weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The federal government invited companies and non-profits to submit proposals to administer the program in early 2021 and compete for a five-year contribution agreement to fund the effort. Oxaro vowed it had the 'people, processes, and tools' to run the initiative with 'industry best practices.' PHAC subsequently picked Oxaro to administer the program. Story continues below advertisement But the Global News investigation into the program, involving more than 30 interviews with current and former Oxaro employees, injured claimants and their attorneys, uncovered complaints that VISP has failed to deliver on its promise of 'fair and timely' access to financial support. Part 1 of the investigation revealed: Oxaro Inc., has received $50.6 million in taxpayer money. $33.7 million has been spent on administrative costs, while Canadians injured by vaccine shots during the COVID-19 pandemic have received only $16.9 million. PHAC and Oxaro underestimated the number of injury claims VISP would get, initially predicting 40 per year and then up to 400 valid claims annually. More than 3,000 applications have been filed — of those, 1,700 people are still waiting for their claim to be decided. Some injured applicants say they face a revolving door of unreachable VISP case managers and fundraise online to survive. Some said their applications were unfairly rejected by doctors they've never spoken to or met. Despite decades of calls for a vaccine injury support program, the federal government cobbled it together during a pandemic. 4:04 'Chaos' inside Federal Vaccine Injury Support Program Part 2 of the investigation uncovered allegations that Oxaro was unequipped to deliver fully on the program's mission and raised questions about why PHAC chose this company over others. Story continues below advertisement Global News also revealed internal documents suggesting VISP fell short due to poor planning from the start. Global News also heard descriptions of a workplace that lacked the gravitas of a program meant to assist the seriously injured and chronically ill: drinking in the office, ping pong, slushies and Netflix streaming at desks. Some workers said the office distractions had improved in recent months, and emphasized that they had done their best with the resources they were given. One worker added that: 'I don't think anyone actually understood the severity or the relevance of the program that was being contracted to the firm. 'I think they (injured claimants) were merely names on paper and nothing more than that.' View image in full screen The Ottawa consulting firm Oxaro Inc. was hired in 2021 to administer the federal government's Vaccine Injury Support Program. Global News In a previous response to Global News, Oxaro stated: 'The VISP is a new and demand-based program with an unknown and fluctuating number of applications and appeals submitted by claimants.' Story continues below advertisement 'The program processes, procedures and staffing were adapted to face the challenges linked to receiving substantially more applications than originally planned,' Oxaro added. 'Oxaro and PHAC have been collaborating closely to evaluate how the program can remain agile to handle the workload on hand while respecting budget constraints.' The company declined to comment on statements by its former workers.
