Volunteer program for immigrant doctors to improve medical English gets big boost

Alternative link: https://archive.is/20260120143249/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-volunteer-program-immigrant-doctors-medical-english-help-cma/

Romel Castillo, a family physician originally from Cuba, learned much more than words when he joined a fledgling program to brush up on his medical English.

He learned the unspoken language of practising medicine in Canada, where concepts such as patient privacy, cultural competency and shared decision-making can be different than in an immigrant doctor’s homeland.

On Tuesday, HELP will get a major boost when the Canadian Medical Association Foundation announces a $645,000 grant to expand the program so that volunteer Canadian doctors can share their expertise with at least 330 more immigrants like Dr. Castillo, who is working in the health system, but not yet as a doctor.