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Globe and Mail
2 days ago
- Health
- Globe and Mail
For some of Canada's most prestigious university programs, mid-90s grades are not enough
Lauren McGuire, a recent Grade 12 graduate from Oakville, Ont., had her sights set on applying to a university program in health sciences, a competitive stream that's often a stepping stone to medical school. She had top marks and impressive extracurriculars, but she still knew it would be a tall order to get one of the most sought-after spots in Canada. Applying to nine programs with an average grade of about 95 at the start of the application process (it improved to 97 by the second semester this year), she crossed her fingers and hoped for the best, aware that some of her targets have acceptance rates lower than even Ivy League schools. Ms. McGuire didn't get into life sciences at McMaster University (where there were nearly 34 applicants for every spot last year) and was put on a waiting list for the health sciences program at Queen's University (about 18 applicants for every spot). But she did get accepted to a life sciences program at the University of Toronto, which she describes as a 'dream school.' 'I was happy to be able to go to a school that I'm really passionate about,' Ms. McGuire said. Canadian university admissions don't tend to see the competitive frenzy that surrounds applications to elite schools in the United States. But there are a handful of programs in Canada that attract an avalanche of applications for a relatively small number of seats. For high achievers accustomed to chasing a goal, the challenge of getting into a sought-after program may be driving a cycle where more students pursue the relatively small number of programs they see as prestigious. It's not uncommon for the prestigious programs to attract even more applications over time, despite already low odds of success. For example, one of McMaster's most sought-after programs, honours health sciences, has seen a nearly 65-per-cent increase in applications since 2020. 'A lot of people really put these programs on a pedestal, knowing that they are the best of the best, and kind of being able to prove themselves,' Ms. McGuire said. 'They want to get into a good program to say that all their hard work bore fruit.' Some students no longer target a preferred university but instead a certain kind of program. If the preferred program is full, the applicant will often choose an entirely different school. That has made for a more anxious application process, even as most educators advise students to see what kind of courses they enjoy once they start university. One province is even introducing legislation that aims to bring more clarity to admissions decisions. Applications in Canada tend to be assessed by departments and programs within universities, rather than the university as a whole. That means there isn't just one application process at a university, but many that operate simultaneously. And entry requirements, grade cut-offs and the scarcity of seats can vary considerably, even within the same institution. Highly selective programs in engineering and commerce, for example, tend to attract a lot of applicants from Canadian high schools. They often have several times as many applicants as there are seats. Those programs inevitably inspire stories of a graduating high school student with an average in the high 90s who was somehow turned down by one top university and accepted by another. Ms. McGuire said the midterm period of her Grade 12 year was intense, as she and her friends spent nearly every spare moment studying, checked for newly posted grades and talked through their anxiety about how their futures might be altered by a good or bad grade. 'It just felt like a pressure cooker,' she said. Murado Murado, a recent high school graduate from London, Ont., who has the same first and last name, took aim at top business programs in his final year. He had an average grade of 96, but he knew that wouldn't be enough to guarantee he got into the program of his choice. 'I was nervous because there were so many people with 98 averages. I've heard horror stories where a 99-average student got rejected,' Mr. Murado said. For the business schools he was applying to, Ivey at Western, Smith at Queen's and Rotman at the U of T, supplemental applications play a big role in selection, he said. For Ivey, where he ultimately got in, he had to list five to seven extracurricular activities, provide references, explain his impact on the community, write a personal profile and do a recorded video interview, where he responded to questions he was given in advance. On its website the school says its admission decisions are 'truly a 50/50 balance between academic achievement (grades) and leadership contribution.' 'They really do look at these supplemental applications. I know many people who did have the marks and the qualifications, but just because of the competitiveness of the program it really comes down to their impact," Mr. Murado said. How admission decisions are made has recently become a political issue in Ontario. Bill 33 would grant the government the right to force universities to make admission decisions on what it defines as merit. The government says its goal is to enhance transparency so students know how they're being evaluated. But it raised objections from students and faculty who said it infringes on universities' long-held right to determine whom to admit and on what basis. Ontario Bill 33 undermines university autonomy and access to education, critics say Universities are becoming more demanding of applicants, but is it better preparing students? For now, universities will sometimes make admission decisions based only on academic performance, meaning a student's grades in high school, and sometimes they'll look at other things. For competitive programs in particular, departments will look at other factors for clues to evaluate a student's potential captured in personal statements or video interviews. The University of British Columbia, for example, describes the personal profile section of its application, which asks for short essay responses to supplied questions, as 'crucial.' to its process. The university uses those responses to determine whether a students is a 'good fit,' it says on its website. Queen's requires applicants to its most competitive programs in health sciences, commerce and nursing to include a supplementary application, which consists of one written and one video response. The university website says it may use information in the supplementary application in addition to the academic record to make admission decisions. The University of Waterloo said it looks at other factors beyond a student's high school grades when making admission decisions. It uses an admissions information form (AIF), which asks a series of questions to elicit information about an applicant's experience and interests. On its website it says that several engineering programs 'accept students with averages in the mid-80s, and sometimes students with slightly lower averages are admitted over students with higher averages if they have a really strong AIF.' One of the difficulties in admissions is the impression that the average grades of applicants have risen in recent years. Can an admissions officer really discern a difference between a student with a 95 average and another from a different school with an average of 94? Dwayne Benjamin, vice-provost ofstrategic enrolment management at the University of Toronto and an economist by background, said there appears to have been a long-term trend to grade inflation for high school students in Ontario. That wouldn't be a problem if grades could rise beyond 100, he said, but once averages get into the 90s, a compression effect takes hold that can make admission decisions more difficult. 'This is why other jurisdictions have standardized tests,' Dr. Benjamin said. On the whole, he said, an Ontario Grade 12 average is strongly predictive of first-year performance in university. And a slightly better predictor is a student's Grade 11 marks. 'I think the reason for that is that students are probably getting more honest feedback through Grade 11,' Dr. Benjamin said. In Grade 12, both students and teachers are aware of the importance of the grades for university admission, he said. At the U of T, Dr. Benjamin said most of the time the admission decision comes down to grades. In the most competitive programs, departments will look for more information from personal statements to help them decide which students will be the better match for the program. But for students disappointed about not getting the program they want, he points out there are many programs at the university where the level of competition is not as high. According to data from the Ontario Universities Application Centre in late June there were more than 1,300 programs across the province with places still available for fall of 2025 for students with an average of 75 or above. Here are some of the most sought-after programs of study, according to nine of Canada's top universities.
RNZ News
21-07-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Waikato University promises planned medical school won't be downsized despite less govt funding
Health Minister Simeon Brown. Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER Waikato University is promising its planned new medical school will not need to be downsized, despite the government putting much less money than originally expected into the project. Opposition parties, however, want the government to show how it arrived at the revised costings. In 2023, National campaigned on a $380 million school in Waikato , with the Crown putting up $280m and the university raising the remaining $100m. However, on Monday, the government confirmed it would contribute $85.25m to the school , with the university chipping in $150m, with the help of philanthropists. The revised numbers came as the result of a business case , which was secured by ACT in coalition talks. The school, which will start its four-year programme in 2028, will prioritise clinical placements in rural and regional communities. "The admissions criteria will be around graduate entry, and it will be about ensuring that the people who come forward have demonstrated commitment to rural communities," said Health Minister Simeon Brown. "That will be a key part of the admissions criteria: to make sure that we are training in place, staying in place. That's a key part of why this government's investing in it." The Rural Health Network said the school was an "exciting opportunity" to boost the much-needed rural workforce. Rural Health Network Photo: Supplied / Rural Health Network Dr Fiona Bolden, chair of Hauora Taiwhenua, said rural-origin students, who were trained rurally, and by rural health professionals, were six times more likely to work rurally than otherwise. "I think that this gives a chance for those people who may be more diverse and done other other degrees, first of all, to find a way to get through medical school," she said. "The design of the course has been set up to make sure that they are trained in long-term general practice placements, so they get to learn about continuity and the community in which they're placed." However, with the first graduates not set to enter the workforce until 2032, Dr Bolden expressed frustration it had taken this long. "We already need these people right now, we're already about 130 full-time equivalent GPs short in rural areas right now, and we only have 500 full-time equivalents in total. What that actually means is a lot more GPs than just the 130, because it's quite unusual now for someone to work a full-time equivalent because of the nature of the job and how the job's changed." Throughout the process, the country's two existing medical schools argued they could train more students at a lower cost. Reacting to the announcement, the University of Otago said it was confident it could continue to deliver high-quality medical education. "We are disappointed that government did not follow the alternative and more cost-effective option of further increasing the intakes into the country's existing medical schools," said associate professor Megan Gibbons, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Health Sciences. "However, any investment that supports growing and sustaining the health workforce is a step toward strengthening care for our communities - particularly in rural and underserved regions." The University of Auckland currently had 170 medical students at Waikato Hospital and in general practices in the region. Professor Warwick Bagg, Dean of the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, said proceeding with the Waikato school was a positive signal for medical education in New Zealand. "One hundred and twenty additional doctors will in time contribute to addressing the workforce shortage. They will add to the 360-plus University of Auckland graduate doctors each year," he said. University of Auckland Medical and Health Sciences Dean, professor Warwick Bagg. Photo: Supplied Labour and the Green Party called on the government to show its working. Brown confirmed the business case would be proactively released "soon", but would not put a specific timeframe on it. Labour's health spokeperson Dr Ayesha Verrall said decisions needed to be transparent. "It's harder and more expensive to see a doctor than ever, and we need to be confident investments in medical training will deliver. It is not clear how this investment is better for New Zealand than the alternatives," she said. The Greens' tertiary education spokesperson Francisco Hernandez pointed to earlier Treasury advice which had concerns over Waikato's ability to contribute to the costs. "The government got advice that approving the Waikato medical school would raise the risk profile of Waikato University from medium to high," he said. Despite the revised costs, Hernandez expressed scepticism the project would not blow its budget. "The cost estimates have shifted so much, I wouldn't be surprised if there's scope creep down the line, and Waikato Uni ends up having to come back to the government with a begging bowl, because the cost ends up being more than what they thought it would be." Green Party tertiary education spokesperson Francisco Hernandez. Photo: VNP / Phil Smith Brown said the Tertiary Education Commission had provided advice to the Universities Minister, Dr Shane Reti, which showed Waikato was in a strong financial position, and could leverage its balance sheet. He and the Prime Minister were satisfied Waikato could meet its end of the bargain, and if the philanthropists could not come through the university had the "financial firepower" to backstop it. "They are confident, having reached out to their donors, that they've got really strong pledges to be able to support that, and we have also wanted to be reassured that those pledges are real. That's why the Treasury work happened, and why we've taken a little bit of time to work through it," Christopher Luxon said. Waikato University said its planned new medical school would not need to be downsized despite the government putting much less money into the project. University of Waikato Vice-Chancellor Professor Neil Quigley said the initial cost of the project was a high-level estimate of the maximum funding that might be needed. "It was always going to be the case that as we interrogated the costs in detail, it [the overall cost] would come down. "The costs that we've now identified are the true costs that reflect the facilities we actually need." He said the university expected its $150m contribution to be half from operating profits and half from donations. "We're a long way down the track with commitments to that level of philanthropic support already, and the university is in very good financial shape at the moment. "We're confident we can make the commitment." The university's focus would be training students who wanted to work in primary care and outside main centres, where the need was greatest, Quigley said. "We have a plan to ensure that students spend three of their four years in the medicine programme in clinical placement in rural and provincial areas." The university'sprogramme had the support of communities, doctors, and other healthcare professionals, he said. "Where we've got to today has taken a while, but probably was necessary to build the level of support needed." The university was finalising where students would go for their clinical placements with rural and regional communities. Quigley said it was about time New Zealand gave those with any undergraduate degree an easier pathway to enter medicine, in line with other countries like Australia. University of Waikato Vice-Chancellor Professor Neil Quigley. Photo: RNZ / Joanne O'Brien ACT leader David Seymour, meanwhile, was taking credit for the money saved from National's original proposal. The party had secured a commitment in its coalition agreement with National to conduct a business case before the project could go ahead. "I guess when people come to you and say 'we've figured out how to do it $200m cheaper,' it's kind of hard to say no. I think saving $200m and getting a third medical school, not a bad day," Seymour said. Luxon, on the other hand, said the decision was made as a Cabinet. "Success can have many fathers and mothers, and if everyone's feeling good about it in our government, that's fantastic," he said. 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Medscape
14-07-2025
- Health
- Medscape
When ‘No Is Not an Option': Consider Med School Overseas?
Gregory Hunt moved around a lot as a child. Born in Sicily, Italy, he moved back to the US with his military family when he was 11 years, eventually landing in Orlando, Florida. He grew up with few resources and education was not a priority in his family, he said. 'Learning has always been a challenging thing for me,' he said. He knew he wanted to be a doctor in high school, but an academic advisor discouraged him after he failed a couple of classes in his first semester of college. Disappointed, he followed his advisor's suggestion and changed his major to psychology with a minor in health sciences. Hunt ultimately did well enough in college achieving over a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) and excelling in 'many areas,' but 'it was very discouraging, when you hear your academic advisors saying like, 'Oh, I don't think med school is for you, I think you need to look into different alternatives,'' Hunt told Medscape Medical News . Gregory Hunt But a few years after college, his dream of being a doctor caught up with him. While he worked at a nursing home, nurses noticed his people skills and his curiosity about medications. They asked him if he'd ever considered becoming a doctor. 'That really like pushed me,' said Hunt, who then applied to US medical schools but didn't get accepted anywhere. One school accepted him into a gateway master's degree program but there was no guarantee that once he completed the program he would get into the medical school, and he didn't want to take that chance. When he saw a YouTube ad for Saint James School of Medicine with campuses in Anguilla and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, he applied. He was accepted, and he moved in less than a month. 'What led me to Saint James, to the Caribbean, was I just wanted a chance,' he said. 'Caribbean medical schools serve a very interesting purpose,' said Ryan Gray, MD, founder and CEO of 'and a lot of that is to train students who, for one reason or another, can't get into a US medical school or don't want to put in the time to remedy something in their application that's causing them not to be able to get into a US medical school. The biggest of those are going to be GPA and MCAT [medical college admission test] score.' Ryan Gray, MD While US medical schools typically start in the summer every year, international schools — many based in the Caribbean — will usually have three or four different start dates 'to try to get as many people through the system as possible,' Gray said. 'It's a very quick application process to a Caribbean school and potentially start in a couple of weeks,' he said. 'It's a very easy lure for students.' 'Unfortunately, a lot of students think that Caribbean medical schools are a shortcut to a medical degree, but that couldn't be further from the truth,' Gray said. 'It's hard. It's medical school.' Is a Caribbean medical school the right choice for an aspiring doctor and, if so, what are the key factors to consider? When to Consider a Caribbean Medical School Pre-med students should only consider an international or Caribbean medical school if they have applied and not gotten accepted to a US allopathic (MD) or osteopathic (DO) medical school, Gray advises students. Apply to US medical schools three times, he said, before even considering applying abroad. If you apply to a US medical school and don't get in, try to figure out the weaknesses in your application, Gray said. For example, if you need a higher GPA, take more classes. If the issue is your MCAT score, figure out how to improve it by getting a tutor or signing up for a program. Unfortunately, all of that does cost money, Gray acknowledged. Caribbean medical schools often get a bad rap, Gray said, because they are for-profit, as are a minority of medical schools in the US. Being for-profit doesn't make them good or bad, 'but the practice of accepting as many students as possible and kind of dealing with potentially high attrition rates is an unfortunate practice at some of these Caribbean medical schools,' he said. If improving your applications to domestic medical schools doesn't work, then know that the best candidate for a Caribbean medical school is someone who has proven themselves academically, but for some reason the MCAT 'doesn't click for them' even after multiple tries, Gray said. That student is probably going to do fine in medical school because the MCAT is not like other tests they'll face in the remainder of their training, he said. 'At the end of the day, an individual student's success comes down to the amount of work that they're willing to put into it, whether you're at a US institution or an international institution,' he said. He's seen students reach out who got kicked out of a Caribbean medical school and now want to try again to get into a US school. 'And it's a long, long potential issue to get into that because they've already proven once they can't handle medical school,' Gray said. Student Experience Varies Students who leave the US for medical school report have mixed feelings about their academic experience and their futures in medicine, according to preliminary data from a Medscape report that will be published later this year. On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the best, 50% of students who go to a medical school outside the US (OUS) rated their school's clinical rotations as 4 or a 5 compared with 63% of US students. And while 81% of US students said they were either very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with their overall clinical instruction, only 57% of OUS students said the same. On the same question, 30% of OUS students said they were very or somewhat dissatisfied compared with just 8% of US students. Despite those numbers, more OUS students said they were very confident or somewhat confident that they will develop the practical skills in medical school that are needed in residency — 47%-44% for US students. Too Long a Wait Not everybody follows the suggestion to apply to medical school three times. Growing up, Victor Adedara, now a 4th year medical student at St. George's University School of Medicine (SGU) in Grenada, saw many doctors in the New York and New Jersey area who were graduates of the school. He had applied to US osteopathic (DO) medical schools and was waitlisted at one, but the wait was too long, he said. SGU also offered him a full scholarship. SGU — considered one of the 'Top Four' Caribbean medical schools — boasts a 95% US residency placement for US graduates over the last 5 years. The school is approved by key regulatory bodies including New York, New Jersey, and California state boards as well as the Florida Commission for Independent Education, according to SGU. However, many students at international medical schools are '…at a disadvantage at almost every turn,' Gray cautioned. About 93.5% of US MD seniors matched to first-year residency positions in 2025, within the historical 92%-95%, according to the National Resident Matching Program, whereas only 67.8% of US international medical graduates matched to postgraduate year-1 positions. Victor Adedara If you are thinking about applying to a Caribbean medical school, consider asking that school about residency match rates and US Medical Licensing Examination pass rates. Also ask about clerkships and away-elective opportunities at hospitals with attached US residency programs. 'So it's their opportunity to kind of audition, so to speak, for residency and show how good they are, because they're going to need letters of recommendation from these physicians who they're rotating with,' Gray said. 'I think ultimately the thing to understand is that any school outside of the US is not an accredited US institution,' Gray said. The exception is Puerto Rico, where medical schools are accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) which certifies all US allopathic (MD) medical schools. Students at international medical schools will have to apply for certification from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates before coming back to the US for residency training. 'Forced to Overcome' Attending a Caribbean medical school could be a culture shock, Gray said. Being in the Caribbean is a struggle, Hunt said. 'You see people on the street. You see lack of access to healthcare. You see a whole bunch of poverty.' And sometimes there is no electricity, power, or water. Hunt learned he needed actual textbooks due to the fluctuating power supply, making his electronic devices unreliable. There also isn't top-notch equipment or the newest edition textbooks. 'It's a very rough adjustment,' he said. It can also be hard to make a phone call or get home to visit family, Hunt said. He visits family back in Florida every 6 or 7 months. It's also self-directed much of the time, he said. 'You're going to be alone in a room and you're going to be talking to yourself.' He decided to slow down his academic pace to 2.5 years of basic sciences and will complete that in May 2026 before moving on to clinical rotations. But there is beauty in the toughness. 'You're in intense environments every single day, so you're forced to overcome,' Hunt said. He's also had opportunities to participate in research, to take part in a service-learning trip in Peru, and to network with a large group of classmates, many of whom share his values. 'I think the common trait that international students have is that 'no is not an option,'' he said. The third and fourth year of medical school is totally self-directed at SGU, Adedara said, which he likes. He did some clinical rotations in the UK. Going to another country and trying to learn the system is a very interesting thing, he said. 'Not everyone can go to a different country and adapt, so it made my adaptability skills become better.' 'It's been a great time because going to Grenada, going to the UK, going to Europe, I understand, I could live in different places, and I still survive. I can understand (the) way things are being done in different countries,' he said. Adedara and Hunt's opportunities come with a significant price. While Adedara received a full scholarship to cover tuition at SGU, he still expects to owe approximately $120,000 when he graduates. Hunt will have to pay a lot more. Some Caribbean medical schools such as SGU can offer loans from the US Department of Education but others do not. Hunt had to take out private loans at a 15% interest rate. He anticipates owing $250,000 for medical school. He'll also need to pay back loans he took out for his MBA degree he is pursuing. According to the Education Data Initiative, medical school graduates, as of last August, carry an average educational debt of $234,597, not including undergraduate debt. 'Private loans are an unfortunate part of many of the international medical schools,' Gray said in an email. 'There are a few [international medical schools like SGU, Ross University School of Medicine, American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine (AUC) and Saba University School of Medicine]…that do have the ability to get federal loans. Private loans are usually not flexible with needing forbearance or have any of the income-based repayment options.' Hunt is willing to take on the expense, hoping the additional business degree he's pursuing and a book that he's working on will ultimately help him pay them back. 'I just wanted the school to see me for who I was and understand that I am a motivated and self-driven individual,' Hunt said, 'And that's what I got from being in the Caribbean.' 'They accepted me for who I was. They accepted me for my potential.'
BBC News
12-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Tributes to health boss who transformed Derby's hospitals
Tributes have been paid to a former NHS manager who oversaw a huge transformation of Derby's Acred was chief executive at Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust from 1998 to 2010 and was fundamental in the planning and building of the Royal Derby also helped to set up a graduate entry medical school in the city and was awarded an OBE in the 2002 New Year Honours list for services to the funeral took place earlier this week following her death at the age of 67 in May. During her time as chief executive, Ms Acred oversaw the building of the new hospital which replaced the Derby City General and Derbyshire Royal on the site of the former, the hospital has 1,159 beds and 35 operating theatres. It cost £334m and was officially opened on 1 April son Lewis said the family had been taken aback by the tributes."My mum was an amazing woman, a devoted mother and a kind and generous friend to all those around her," he said."It's been overwhelming hearing from so many people who all the say the same thing about just how significant an influence she's had on their lives."She was loved by so many in the community and has made Derby a better place, and her parting leaves a huge void in all our lives." 'Shaped our history' Dr Gis Robinson, executive chief medical officer at the trust - now called University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Trust - said: "Her firm desire to ensure a state-of-the-art hospital was delivered for local people has allowed the teams within it to deliver high-quality care for patients in the many years that have followed, and the new hospital or graduate entry medical school could not have been delivered without Julie's vision, aspiration and determination."Julie had a commitment to gender equality, and clinical and staff engagement, and was known as a compassionate and approachable leader, embodying the values of the NHS."We are honoured to have had Julie's leadership for 12 years, shaping the history of our trust."
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Student's determination pays off as he achieves his ambition on graduation day
A good dose of determination has helped one student to achieve his dream of becoming a doctor. Talha Sufi completed three undergraduate and postgraduate courses to realise his ambition of becoming a medic. The 29-year-old began his University of Central Lancashire journey by enrolling on the three-year BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science programme. Following this, he signed up for a two-year physician associate postgraduate course. He kept pushing forward and finally landed a hard-earned place on the competitive five-year Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) course. READ MORE: Bolton medical student awarded scholarship at UCLan UCLan graduation ceremony for Bolton mum and daughter Ramsbottom's Victoria Derbyshire to receive honorary award at UCLan Talha said: 'From the very start, my goal was clear - I wanted to become a doctor. Instead of taking the traditional route, I built my path in stages and that has meant spending 10 years at university and completing an undergraduate degree, a postgraduate diploma and now finally medical school. 'I feel excited that I've finally got to this moment as working as a doctor to serve my community is something I've wanting to do from an early age.' It has been a balancing act for the former Darul Uloom Al Arabiya Al Islamiya School and Bury College pupil. 'Juggling the demands of work, family and study was hard while being a mature student,' commented Talha, from Bolton, "I had to find the balance so I could study, work part-time as a physician associate at a GP surgery in Deepdale, undertake placements at Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital and find time for my family. However, with my family support my whole journey was made possible.' Talha, who wants to specialise in general practice, has now moved to Dewsbury and is completing his mandatory two-year junior doctor programme at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. He said: 'The university provided useful links and exposure to a variety of health sectors such as GP placements, surgical and medical rotations and first-hand teaching from hospital consultants and I'm looking forward to taking all this knowledge into my career. 'In the coming years I want to build my own surgery to serve my local community and really improve the health of those who are in need of health services. I want to have a wider impact on health improvement and the provision of social services for those who are struggling. Access to healthcare is a huge challenge for the elderly and those from ethnic minority backgrounds. I aim to bridge this gap and provide health services with care and compassion.'
