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The town of Gander in Canada’s central Newfoundland is working with its local Muslim community to establish its first mosque and to retain Muslim doctors.
Gander Mayor Percy Farwell and Dr. Mohamed Barasi, Director of the Central Newfoundland Islamic Community, said Wednesday they hope a mosque will encourage Muslim doctors to stay in the region.
Farwell says there are several internationally trained Muslim doctors working in Gander, and that in the past, the town has had difficulties convincing them to stay. While he applauds the provincial government’s efforts to attract international medical graduates, he said communities in need of their expertise have an important role in retaining them.
“Doctors are parts of families, and families have needs that go way beyond the professional life of the physician,” Farwell said in an interview. “The rest of the community needs to be part of that.”
Like the rest of Newfoundland and Labrador, Gander needs more doctors, Farwell said. In a province of about 522,875 people, nearly a quarter are without a family doctor, the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association has said.
Premier Andrew Furey announced Tuesday that the medical school at Memorial University in St. John’s would open five new residency seats for international medical graduates wanting to practice family medicine. Other medical schools, including Dalhousie in Nova Scotia and all six schools in Ontario, already have residency seats reserved for international doctors.
