Saint John council hopes a new medical education scholarship will help to attract new doctors to the city.
Council recently voted to support two medical students through the New Brunswick Medical Education Foundation.
Coun. Greg Norton, who brought forward the motion, said the students will commit to working in the city after they graduate.
“These aren’t two medical students are going to find themselves in Greater Saint John, it would be Saint John proper,” Norton told his fellow councillors.
“We all know where our physicians practice medicine is in good chance where they will continue to stay because of that connection to that community.
Council agreed to provide a total of $10,400 annually for four years to the foundation for the two scholarships.
Recipients must agree to a one-year return of service in Saint John for each year of support they receive.
“Nobody’s gonna argue that the health and wellness and the medical field is extraordinarily competitive now, and there’s an obligation on this council to try to be as competitive as we possibly can, whether it’s in that space, economic development, public safety, recreation, and a number of other fields,” said Norton.
“There was a time when this councillor saw us never get in the lane of housing, and now we’re looking at becoming more competitive with housing. This is no different, and this is a very modest amount of money over a four-year period.”
The foundation provides support to hundreds of medical students each year.
