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The Minister of Health and Long-Term Care Deb Matthews announced new programs to recruit doctors to underserviced areas like Northwestern Ontario Friday afternoon.

The province will be eliminating their Underserviced Area Program and replacing it with the Northern and Rural Recruitment and Retention (NRRR) Initiative.

Through the initiative, physicians starting practices in the north and in rural Ontario areas will get incentives starting at $80,000 over four years to $120,000 over four years – the more remote the community, the higher the amount. About $5.8 million is accessed through the program annually.

"What this announcement means for the people of the north is that the incentives for physicians to locate in the north will be significantly higher than they are today," Matthews said. "It also means the incentives for physicians to settle in the south are significantly less."

It will make a large difference in the ability of northern communities to attract doctors, said Matthews, adding there were real flaws in the previous program.

"The old program simply wasn’t working anymore," she said. "A city like Burlington would have the same incentive as a community in the north. It just didn’t make sense. Too many southern communities had access to the incentive grants."

Matthews also said the province will change their Postgraduate Return of Service Program. The program has international medical graduates agree to practice for five years in exchange for postgraduate training opportunities.

Previously there was a restricted list of Ontario communities these students could practice in. Now the program is being opened up to any community except for Ottawa and the Toronto area.

Northern Ontario School of Medicine dean Roger Strasser said both programs will provide extra support for recruitment officers in Thunder Bay.

"Almost every student in the Northern Ontario School of Medicine has grown up here in Northern Ontario," said Strasser. "This will provide extra encouragement for them to decide this is the best place for them to provide medical care and pursue their careers."

Strasser added the incentive grants will help put a dent in the students’ loans.