Salutations – Masters of Ceremonies, Guest Speaker Dr. Shafiq Qaadri, MPP Parliament Assistant to the Premier of Ontario, President Dr. Brijender K. Gupta, Administrator Mr. Rameesh Mulkanoor, members of the Board, distinguished faculty and staff of Windsor University School of Medicine, my Cabinet Secretary, Mrs. Josephine Huggins, Graduands, proud parents, spouses, family members of the Graduands, specially invited guests, members of the media, invitees, all.
Let me begin by congratulating the organizers of this Convocation on an excellent job. I must also thank the Board for the kind invitation for me to participate in this memorable event. So many people are here and so many of you are high academic achievers. I congratulate you all on your accomplishments.
On behalf of the people and Government of St. Kitts and Nevis, I extend hearty congratulations to the one hundred and fourteen Medical School Graduands proudly seated here today! You are graduating from Windsor University School of Medicine and moving on to residencies at a time when practicing physicians are needed in every corner of the world, now more than ever, spurred on in part by the growth and aging of the global population, as well as an increase in the number of doctors who are retiring. The demand too is being impacted by efforts to achieve sustainable health care for all. I congratulate you for making it to this stage by dint of hard work, discipline and genius. The world is awaiting you. My hope is that you will impress your patients with your knowledge, your humility and sheer excellence of your behaviour and conduct anchored in the values of Windsor University School of Medicine.
Here In Canada:
Last year, The Vancouver Sun newspaper reported that, in the year 2010 in the Canadian province of British Columbia, there was a backlog of 176,000 British Columbians who were looking for a family physician. This backlog had reportedly grown to more than 200,000 by the year 2015.
Indeed, there is a physician shortage in just about every one of Canada’s ten provinces and three territories, making this country increasingly reliant on the expertise of international medical graduates just like you and the foresight of offshore medical schools like Windsor University School of Medicine, which year after year see strong enrollment growth.
A 2012 report by the Health Human Resources team of the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) found that one quarter of Canada’s doctors are trained abroad. In 2012, international medical graduates accounted for 38% of physicians in the Newfoundland and Labrador province, and 46% of physicians in the Saskatchewan province. The Canadian Press reported last year that this province, Ontario, had 1,013 Canadian medical school graduates plus another 200 from international medical schools in its first-year residency program in 2014-15.
How significant is the physician shortage here in Canada, and what are the opportunities for international medical graduates?
Canada’s current affairs magazine, Macleans reported on an eye-opening 2005 survey, which found that just 23% of Canadians were able to see a physician on the same day that they needed to see one. Canada's doctor-patient ratio was also found to be just 2.2 physicians per thousand people, ranking 24th out of 28 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. This is below the OECD average of three physicians per thousand people. Furthermore, among the G8 countries, Canada ranked last with respect to physician supply.
Eleven years later in 2016, international medical graduates are reaping the rewards of Canada’s progressive and inclusionary policies. It is indeed apparent that strides have been made in Canada for international medical graduates. I am happy that the Windsor University School of Medicine is welcoming Canadian citizens and residents to its medical programme, and I encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity for high quality education.
In the United States of America:
Like Canada, the United States of America also faces a shortage of physicians. According to a physician workforce report released on the 5th of April by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), projections up to the year 2025 show an expected physician shortage ranging between 61,700 and 94,700. Non-primary care specialties are projected to experience a shortfall of between 37,400 and 60,300 physicians.
The U.S., like Canada, is heavily reliant on international medical school graduates; 7,000 of them enter medical residencies in the United States every year, according to the Center for Workforce Studies in 2010.
The good news is that, slowly but surely, medical schools have been doing their part to address this shortage. Moreover, Windsor University School of Medicine is at the vanguard of expanding enrollment by increasing the accessibility and affordability of medical school. There are great work opportunities available for health practitioners in North America and I dare say in the world.
Windsor takes on the mantle of leadership on the shortage issue
By all accounts, Windsor University School of Medicine continues to experience exponential growth when it comes to its international reach and size of its annual incoming class. I am advised that on average, 60% of the student body come from Canada, the United States, India, Sierra Leone and the Caribbean. The remaining 40% of the student body is comprised of Nigerians.
In 2010, 10 years after Windsor University School of Medicine came to St. Kitts, the medical school welcomed its largest enrollment ever. At present, the university boasts more than 1,000 students. This makes Windsor a very large medical school by international standards. Over time there is little doubt that its graduates will achieve due recognition in their respective fields. Today’s Convocation is the 6th one, and there is good reason to anticipate many, many more to come.
On May 29th, 2015, Windsor started the construction of a 30,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art building on its campus at Brighton’s Estate, Cayon in St. Kitts. This building is home to a larger library facility, a simulation lab, and small group learning rooms, as well as student lounges and a gymnasium.
Clearly, Windsor attaches premium importance to students’ academic training as well as their comfort. Windsor has demonstrated that it will play an integral role in meeting the future health workforce needs of not only Canada and the United States of America, but also Africa and other nations in both the developed and developing world.
Why Windsor University School of Medicine must continue to exert leadership and strive for excellence
A thoughtful New York Times August 2010 article titled “When the Doctor Doesn’t Look Like You” and written by Pauline W. Chen, MD, posits a clear and convincing case for the value of an international medical education of the type offered by Windsor. Dr. Chen writes: “Regardless of whether they are United States citizens, all international graduates must go through an arduous regulatory process before practicing in this country, a process that includes verification of medical school diplomas and transcripts, residency training in American hospitals and the same national three-part licensing exams and specialty tests that their medical school counterparts in this country take. Many go on to choose specialties or work in the rural and disadvantaged geographic locations that their American counterparts shun. International graduates, for example, now account for nearly 30 percent of all primary care doctors, a specialty that has had increasing difficulties attracting American medical students.”
Conclusion:
I would wish to impress upon you that you should not let naysayers diminish the value of the Windsor University medical degree that you have worked so hard to attain. You deserve the opportunity to pursue the residency of your dreams as much as anyone else. You deserve your place at the table, whether it is an examination table or an operating table.
This was the dream of the late Dr. Srinivas Gaddam (1962-2014), who founded the Windsor University School of Medicine. This illustrious son of India with a love for medicine and humanity wanted our world to be a better place through the provision and delivery of health care for all. He wished the University to fulfill his vision and sought to instill in all people his values of service, love of family, sacrifice, excellence, compassion and wholesome living.
As we approach the second anniversary of his untimely passing this summer, let us all strive to embody all of the potential and possibilities for which Windsor stands; for all that this school will ever achieve lies within all of you (Board of Directors, Faculty, and graduates) who are here today.
Some of you – having been inspired by the rich diversity and culture of St. Kitts and Nevis – will decide to pursue work in underserved neighbourhoods, to help combat racial and ethnic health disparities. Some of you – having thrived in the close-knit, intimate setting of your learning environment at Windsor – will choose a specialization.
St. Kitts and Nevis as the home of Windsor University was pleased to have served you during the period of your studies, and looks forward to your return, either to work or live or for a vacation. We are ready to welcome the next cohort of students at Windsor. Windsor has proved itself as an institution of excellence willing and able to cater to a diverse student body, and St. Kitts and Nevis is arguably the most beautiful country in which you can study and excel.
Again, I thank you for having me and commend you.
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