Thank you, Madam Chair.
I have two questions I'd like to ask the department officials today.
First, to build upon what Mr. Uppal was raising in regard to foreign accreditation, I've met a number of foreign doctors in my riding who have explained to me the difficulties in the process, and I'm pleased to hear that there's enthusiasm and interest in addressing the problem.
One aspect of the problem that I've been alerted to is the cost of equivalency exams. I know of a couple, Kizi and Sokol Mberry, doctors from eastern Europe, who had four kids and were working minimum wage to pay for their equivalency exams. They said the books and exams would cost them $2,000 apiece.
Are there any discussions with the respective provincial bodies about how we can reduce the stigma associated with these costs at a time when new doctors do not have a supply of funds available?
My second question has to do with electronic health records. In the 2006 budget there was an incredible commitment to electronic health records, and more recently there's been an even stronger commitment. I was talking to the CEO of my local hospital, Royal Victoria, and they mentioned that in other provinces some of these funds are trickled down. But in Ontario it appears that it has not trickled down to a hospital level.
Are there any measurements being done to show how electronic health records are being disbursed? Are any provinces needing more of a nudge to get moving on it?