January 18, 2001 For Immediate Release

Training more physicians for practice in northern and rural areas is the aim of the proposed Northern Medical Program (NMP) announced today by the University of Northern British Columbia and the University of British Columbia at the National Health Summit currently underway in Prince George.

The aim is to register 15-20 medical students annually in the NMP. Students would complete about half of their medical education in the North and the remainder at UBC's Point Grey campus and affiliated teaching hospitals. Graduates would receive a medical degree from UBC, the province's medical school.

UNBC will also participate in an expanded UBC residency program in the North.
"For this innovative program to work, we will need to establish effective partnerships with UBC, northern health regions, and northern physicians," says UNBC President Charles Jago. "We will also require preferential admission for northern students, new funding to enhance UNBC's programming beyond current capacity, modest capital expansion, and, perhaps most importantly, the strong support of all northern BC residents."

The Northern Medical Program is part of UNBC's vision to be a northern centre of education for rural health and recognizes that physicians trained locally are more likely to develop the skills and relationships necessary to work in those communities.

The NMP is part of a plan to expand and decentralize medical education that was announced today by UBC. Called the Provincial Medical Education Plan (PMEP), it involves universities and a variety of teaching sites such as hospitals, clinics and medical practices in major B.C. centres. These sites would offer specialized training relevant to health practice issues in rural and underserved areas. The PMEP would see enrolment at the UBC medical school increase from the current 128 students to 200 students registered annually by 2006 with a corresponding increase in the number of residency or specialist training positions.

"The NMP is the first example of how we can bring together medical and health resources throughout the province to improve access to health care," says UBC President Martha Piper. "Creating teaching partnerships with B.C.'s other universities and community health services is both cost-effective and educationally effective."

The Northern Medical Program is planned to be implemented by 2004, pending government approval and funding. Organizers expect it to be more cost-effective and quicker to implement than a freestanding medical school at UNBC.

"The creation of the NMP is testimony to how universities can be responsive to the needs of their regions," says Dr Jago. "At the same time, it will demonstrate northern BC's national leadership role in developing novel approaches to addressing its vital concerns."

The impetus for expanding medical education in northern BC was provided by the 7,000 people who attended the June health rally in Prince George, and other health rallies in the North. Since that time, UNBC has been exploring options with UBC and community advisors. Medical programs in Scandinavia, Canada, the US, and Australia were analyzed to better understand the different options for expanding medical education in BC.