Provincial delegation attempts to woo 36 U.K. doctors

Thirty-six doctors in the United Kingdom are lined up to meet with representatives from Nova Scotia to learn more about moving to the province.

They'll be coming together for meetings in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh.

Staff from the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration, the Nova Scotia Health Authority and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia will make the trip.

They will meet with physicians over several days to discuss immigration and employment options. 

Immigration Minister Lena Diab said it's important to have representatives from all three groups on the trip. 

"So that the physicians specifically have all of their answers to the questions answered right there and then," she said. 

The doctors attending the sessions already have expressed interest in coming to Nova Scotia, according to Diab. 

These meetings are part of the provincial government's physician immigration stream that was started last year. That program was set up to make it easier for doctors to move to Nova Scotia. 

So far, the program has brought 25 doctors to the province. Five of those doctors were recruited from the U.K.

Diab said the key to the program's previous success is having recruiters on site and being able to answer specific questions.

"With respect to credentialing, with respect to whether they can work here, with respect to specifically what jobs they're going to have and where they're going to be located in the province," she said.

The meetings are expected to start this week and continue for several days.

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