Harper Government Announces Funding to Support New Family Medicine Positions and a Family Medicine Training Centre in Canada’s North

News Release
2011-31
February 22, 2011
For immediate release

Factsheet: Nunavut Family Physician Residents Project (NUNAFAM)

Iqaluit – The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, today announced federal funding that will support up to eight new family medicine residents in Nunavut.

The investment will also help establish a family practice training centre located in the Qikiqtani General Hospital in Iqaluit.”This partnership will bring more doctors to Nunavut,” said Minister Aglukkaq. “Living and working in the North will enhance the training of these new family medicine residents and better prepare them to serve Nunavummiut in the future.”

The NunaFam Project will result in up to eight additional family medicine residents receiving training and providing medical service in the Territory. Residents funded through this initiative will sign a return-of-service contract that will result in additional family physicians practicing in Nunavut.

As part of this funding, a new family practice training centre at the Qikiqtani General Hospital in Iqaluit will be established. It will be a key training centre for residents in this Project, while providing additional educational support for practicing physicians. NunaFam is working in collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine at Memorial University in Newfoundland and Labrador.

“This is a very important investment as these locally trained physicians will give Nunavut families greater access to health care,” said Tagak Curley, Minister of Health and Social Services for the Government of Nunavut.

Funding from today’s announcement will help ensure the people of Nunavut have greater access to the right supply, mix and distribution of health care providers. It will also support the Government of Nunavut’s efforts around health human resources planning which aims to create and maintain a stable, adequate health workforce in Canada’s North.

The Government of Canada is providing up to $4.9 million over six years through the Pan-Canadian Health Human Resources Strategy which supports and facilitates innovation in health human resources to help bring about an adequate supply of health care providers while promoting optimal working conditions for Canada’s health workforce.

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Media Enquiries:
Health Canada
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Jenny Van Alstyne
Office of the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq
Federal Minister of Health
(613) 957-0200

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