A commentary by a Victoria resident.

My recent commentary on medical education reform in British Columbia generated a strong and thoughtful public response.

Physicians, parents, educators, and patients alike have asked the same question: If other countries train excellent doctors more efficiently, why is this conversation off-limits here?

What has been notably absent is engagement from universities. They simply are not receptive to change and stick to a legacy relic that was introduced in 1914.

This silence matters because British Columbia is not facing an unimportant policy debate. The province is experiencing a sustained shortage of physicians.

Hundreds of thousands of residents lack access to a family doctor. Emergency departments are overwhelmed, and delayed care has become routine. Delayed care is plugging our acute care facilities when this shouldn’t have happened.

British-trained........

© Times Colonist