Thousands of young doctors set to graduate from a new British training programme have been told there are no jobs for them.  Another example of far-sighted management at Britain’s National Health Service.

As much as £2 billion has been spent on the training of up to 8,000 doctors who find themselves without a new job under a Government initiative.
. . .
It costs £250,000 to train a doctor and the [training system] "shambles" is said to be blighting the careers of dedicated young men and women who may now leave the NHS. Many are also saddled with debts of more than £40,000 after funding their training.

London’s Daily Telegraph has posted several letters from doctors complaining of shabby treatment and an incompetent online job application system.  Many say they will emigrate.  Hold that thought for a moment.

Also today comes news that British nurses and other health workers are threatening to strike after the government offered a pay raise below inflation, currently running over 4%.

Union leaders threatened industrial action after health staff were promised a 2.5 per cent increase to be paid in two stages in April and November, which they say is worth just 1.9% per year.

Nurses leaving hospitals tonight described the rise was a "slap in the face" and claimed many could now leave the profession.

To those unemployed British doctors, I say: Come to Canada, where physicians are in high demand all across the country.  To British nurses looking for decent wages and better working conditions: Don’t leave the profession, come to Canada.  We have scads of unfilled nursing positions in all areas.

Doctors: Canada has been trying to attract more doctors for years.  It was only a few days ago that Ontario Medical Association recommended a renewed effort to lure physicians to that province at the centre of the universe Canada.  If you set up a practice in my fair city of Whitehorse, you could probably get your name in the local newspaper.

Nurses: Competition for nurses in Canada is so intense that a recent recruitment drive by Calgary Health Region was greeted with cries of “poaching” from health officials across the country.  Unlike UK nurses, moreover, Canadian nurses are receiving generous pay raises.

The NHS has obvious and severe management problems.  Less than two months ago, a government report stated that Britain will face severe shortages of nurses and GPs within five years.  Yet, they won’t pay enough to keep the nurses they have, and they won't fund jobs for physicians trained at huge expense.  Good reasons for medical professionals to move to Canada.

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