The Government of Nova Scotia is working with two universities in Lebanon to recruit more family doctors to the province. The province and Lebanese American University in Beirut have signed a memorandum of agreement that outlines a five-year pilot program, a news release from the province says. The program will see two ready-to-practice family physicians come to Nova Scotia each year of the program. Two physicians have already arrived and are practicing in the province, with another set to arrive shortly, the release says. The partnership also includes the American University of Beirut. “We have doctors who want to make Nova Scotia their home, and we have opportunities to help them do what they do best – provide care to patients,” Michelle Thompson, minister of Health and Wellness, says. “These partnerships will further strengthen ties between our province and Lebanon and create a unique opportunity to bring highly skilled family physicians to Nova Scotia.” Nova Scotia says they will be investing $5 million over the length of the agreement to cover expenses related to funding two medical school residency positions each year at the Lebanese American University, as well as licensing exams, immigration and relocation costs. In return, the doctors will be required to sign a three-year return-of-service agreement. “At the heart of this collaboration is something deeply human: the need for care, and the people who provide it,” says Dr. Sola Aoun Bahous, dean and professor of medicine at the Lebanese American University. “Family doctors are the backbone of any healthcare system, and the growing need for them is felt around the world. Partnerships like this remind us that when collaboration is driven by purpose, medicine knows no borders.” For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
