The Government of Yukon has issued a General Declaration of Need to support the recruitment and licensing of family physicians from the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia.
The declaration allows the Yukon Medical Council to issue licences to family physicians from these countries for the Limited Family Practice Register through the new “Limited A” pathway. This pathway is for qualified internationally trained family physicians from approved countries who may be licensed in the Yukon without an additional practice assessment or supervised practice period.
This initiative advances a commitment to work with the Yukon Medical Association and the Yukon Medical Council to streamline the process of recognizing foreign trained doctors from countries with similar standards.
Physicians using this pathway must meet Yukon Medical Council licensing requirements and be offered a specific opportunity to practise in the territory.
The declaration was issued by Minister Cathers under the Medical Profession Act and the Medical Profession Registration and Fees Regulation. It acts on work by the Yukon Medical Council to identify ways to safely expand licensing pathways for family physicians trained in countries with similar high standards.
This is part of the Government of Yukon’s ongoing work to strengthen primary care, support physician recruitment and improve access to health care services for Yukoners.
The Yukon Medical Council’s report highlights a clear, safe path forward to bring in family physicians who are trained under comparable high standards. This declaration provides an immediate path for issuing licences to family doctors from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Ireland.
Strong communities depend on access to quality health care. By reducing barriers for qualified family physicians to establish their practice in the Yukon, this cross-departmental initiative will help strengthen recruitment efforts and improve access to primary care services for Yukoners.
The Yukon Medical Council continues to work with partners to support safe, effective pathways for qualified physicians who want to practise in the Yukon. This declaration will help support access to family medicine while maintaining the standards Yukoners expect.
The Yukon Medical Association fully supports finding practical ways to bring more family doctors to the Yukon. Improving access to primary care is absolutely critical for Yukoners right now, and by expanding licensing options while keeping practice standards high, this pathway will help us recruit the qualified physicians our communities urgently need.
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The General Declaration of Need is a formal statement by the Minister of Health and Social Services that the Yukon has a demonstrated need for family physicians.
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The declaration allows the Yukon Medical Council to consider eligible family physicians from approved countries for licensing through the Limited Family Practice Register.
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The Limited Family Practice Register is a specific class of medical registration maintained by the Yukon Medical Council under the territory's Medical Profession Act.
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The new "Limited A" pathway is a specific licensing route for internationally trained physicians who come from countries with medical standards like Canada's. Since their training is already aligned with the Yukon’s requirements, approved physicians using this pathway can be fast-tracked into the Yukon workforce without needing extra practice assessments or clinical supervision, which previously were required for all physicians in the Limited Family Practice Register.
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The declaration may also apply to family physicians from additional countries approved in the future by the College of Family Physicians of Canada.
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The declaration responds to a report commissioned by the Yukon Medical Council and a letter from the Yukon Medical Council indicating that family physicians from these four countries will now be eligible for the limited licence register without undergoing special assessments or supervision.
Tim Kucharuk
Press secretary, Cabinet Communications
867-335-2419
[email protected]
Ayodeji Awobamise
Communications, Health and Social Services
867-334-8342
[email protected]