OMSA and CFMS Statement Regarding Residency Reduction Update

As medical student representative organizations, both the Ontario Medical Students Association (OMSA) and the Canadian Federation of Medical Students (CFMS) would like to update our members on the anticipated reductions in the number of Canadian Medical Graduate (CMG) PGY-1 residency positions for the the 2017 R1 Main Residency Match.

Last year, we learned that the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) planned on discontinuing funding for 25 CMG residency positions across Ontario, with an additional 25 residency positions to be reduced in 2017. On Monday, we received a notification from the MOHLTC informing us that the planned 2017 reductions will be paused until at least 2018, pending further review.

Both OMSA and the CFMS have a history of advocating for evidence-based health human resource planning by federal, provincial, and territorial governments. We have made great strides in strengthening collaborative efforts with the MOHLTC Health Human Resources Strategy Division and welcome this decision to undergo a thorough review before implementation of further significant changes to PGY-1 residency positions. We welcome your questions, concerns, and feedback throughout this ongoing discussion using the contact information listed below.

Yours sincerely,

Ali Damji, OMSA Chair

Justin Cottrell, OMSA Co-Chair

Jessica Harris, CFMS VP Government Affairs