McMaster will do its share to quickly implement any new medical student places that emerge from the provincial government adopting recommendations from the expert panel on health professional human resources.

President Peter George, who chaired the 18-member expert panel, said he is pleased the government has accepted the group's recommendations on undergraduate education.

“I am pleased that the government has accepted our recommendation to increase undergraduate enrolment by 120 positions and that they have chosen to implement it over two years rather than the recommended three years,” George said.

As well, George said he is happy the government is moving to implement some of the decentralized training opportunities recommended. “The panel worked hard to develop practical recommendations,” he said.

The panel and its working groups included family doctors and specialists, nurse practitioners, academics, researchers, health care administrators, students and the international medical graduate community.

The panel's mandate was to suggest solutions to solve the province-wide family doctor shortage. The panel's report, Shaping Ontario's Physician Workforce, was released yesterday by Health Minister Tony Clement.

The University doesn't know exactly how many student places it might be assigned, but the number would likely be between 30 and 40. Ministry officials will be meeting with the medical school deans to decide exactly how the 120 positions will be allocated.

In addition to committing to expand undergraduate and post-graduate medical school enrolment (from 572 to 692), the government said it will create a northern medical school with a main site at Laurentian University in Sudbury and a clinical education campus at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay.

The government also pledged to increase post-graduate training positions by up to 25 in northern and rural communities, beginning in 2002.

For more information go to: Harris government announces new northern medical school and increased medical school enrolment.