Liberal MLA says ending P.E.I.'s medical residency ties with Dalhousie is 'a risky game'

P.E.I.'s health minister is defending a decision to phase out the province's medical residency relationship with Halifax's Dalhousie University over the next five years, saying the Island needs to "control its own destiny" when it comes to training and retaining doctors.

In an exchange during question period in the legislature on Wednesday, Liberal MLA Gord McNeilly called ending the Dal residency program by 2029 "a risky game" in light of uncertainty about whether a new medical school at the University of can meet the province's health-care needs.

The decision to phase out the relationship is outlined in the Spindle Consulting report on the new medical school, which recommended that existing residency spots that P.E.I. operates through Dalhousie would switch over to UPEI.

"My understanding is that many Island doctors are very, very concerned about the potential pressures of the medical school. Why is this [Dalhousie residency] being phased out before you know the fully functioning medical school here at UPEI will be up and running?" McNeilly asked Health Minister Mark McLane.

The Spindle Consulting report says P.E.I. will require 20 residency spots to support the UPEI medical school, but plans for those residencies haven't yet been developed. (Ken Linton/CBC)

McLane replied that the Dalhousie medical school has been a good partner for P.E.I., but it's important to build capacity on the Island given that Dal has only a small number of seats in its program for students from outside of Nova Scotia.

"If we don't control our own destiny, we are competing," he said. "We acknowledge the challenge that the medical school presents, and we will use all our partners to encourage we do it in a thoughtful and appropriate way."

McNeilly also read out a portion of a letter from Dalhousie's Department of Family Medicine to members of its faculty, alerting them of the change.

"We'll continue to have residents at the P.E.I. site until the transition is complete. P.E.I. remains an important part of the [faculty's] program, and we're committed to providing full support to students, staff, and faculty there," the letter reads.

"We look forward to having further discussions with the government of P.E.I. and the new UPEI medical school to ensure that any future changes in medical education on P.E.I. proceed smoothly and successfully."

Some residencies will end up off-Island

P.E.I. currently offers five spots for Dalhousie medical students to conduct two years of on-the-job residency training here on the Island. That number will expand to seven spaces this summer in light of the province's pressing need for more doctors, the government announced in November.

Liberal MLA Gord McNeilly says ending the residency arrangement with Dalhousie University is 'a risky game' in light of uncertainty about whether a new medical school at UPEI. (Legislative Assembly of P.E.I.)

The province's retention rate for those students to take on a practice on the Island after their residency ends has been around 80 per cent.

P.E.I. will require upwards of 20 residency spots to support the UPEI medical school, which is slated to open in 2025, but plans for those residencies haven't yet been developed.

Some residencies will end up being off-Island because they'll be for medical specialties this province doesn't have, so there would be nobody to mentor the medical residents.