[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/med-school.jpg” caption=”McMaster will boost the number of first-year medical students by 21 over the next three years. File photo.”]McMaster University's Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine will boost the number of first-year medical students by 21 over the next three years, with most joining its regional campuses in Kitchener-Waterloo and St. Catharines.

Announcement of the physician training increase of 100 student places across Ontario was made today by John Milloy, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities. He was at the construction site for the Waterloo Regional Campus of the medical school, located at the University of Waterloo's Downtown Kitchener Health Sciences Campus.

In September, seven students will be added to the Waterloo Regional Campus, making a class of 28 first-year students.

At the same time, five additional students will be added to the Niagara Regional Campus, making the first-year class one of 20 students. In September 2010 an additional eight students will be added, bringing the class total to 28.

Also, in September 2011, one additional student will be added at the Hamilton campus, making the first-year class 147 students.

McMaster will also receive almost $13.4 million to build additional classrooms, buy training and IT equipment and library resources at the three sites. The new funding includes a $7.2 million investment in Hamilton, almost $4.1 million in St. Catharines and almost $2.1 million in Kitchener-Waterloo.

The funds are part of the province's investment of $35 million over three years to help medical schools build the specialized rooms, labs and equipment they need to train future doctors.

John Kelton, dean and vice-president of the Faculty of Health Sciences, pointed out that the school will admit 203 medical students each year, more than double its enrolment before 2000.

“This has taken the commitment of our faculty and our academic health-care partners as well as the innovative development of new learning technologies, and the welcome of our communities. We are training the physicians of tomorrow's health-care teams for these communities.”

Ted McMeekin, MPP for Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale, said: “We are helping meet that demand by adding new first-year spaces at our medical schools like McMaster University. This investment creates opportunities for medical students to train closer to home, connect with the local medical community and prepare for careers where they study.”

“Adding spaces to McMaster's medical school will help ensure we have the doctors we need for the future,” said Sophia Aggelonitis, MPP for Hamilton Mountain. “The additional funding will also help attract the best and brightest med students to our area.”

By 2011, the Ontario government will have increased medical school spaces by 38 per cent since 2004-05. There will be a total of 952 first-year students once the new seats are added.