April

We asked the dean to comment on “Language skills of UBC medical students: Working toward cultural competency in health care.” Here is his commentary. —ED

WorkSafeBC recently introduced regulations that “safety engineered scal­pels” have to replace conventional scalpels—though there is no evidence that they reduce injuries. This regulation was recently implemented across the Interior Health Authority and will soon be coming to the other health authorities.

The Faculty of Medicine, now numbering 3600 people across the pro­vince, includes those who are appointed as clinical faculty members and who contribute significantly to the academic strength of UBC’s reputation nationally and internationally. The value of this contribution is extraordinary and is an integral part of the teaching and research programs that are conducted within the Faculty.

A recent article suggested that there is a good way to help medical students alleviate their crushing debt and at the same time assist outlying communities to solve their chronic shortage of doctors (“Solving the primary care crisis,” BCMJ 2009;51[1]:12-13).

I read with interest the article by Nicholson and Levy (“Solving the primary care crisis,” BCMJ 2009;51[1]:12-13). As an FMG who has practised in the distant reaches of rural Canada, I have always been struck by the lack of any real incentive system to attract physicians to those underserviced areas.