An organization representing Canadian hospitals says hundreds of Saudi Arabian resident physicians will be able to stay in the country to continue their training for now.
Saudi Arabian students had been told they had to leave because of an ongoing diplomatic spat between Canada and the Middle Eastern kingdom that erupted earlier this month.
The president of HealthCareCan says it was told by hospitals and the Saudi Arabian Cultural Bureau that more than 1,000 Saudi Arabian medical residents and fellows received an email on Monday saying they can continue their assignments in Canada until an alternative posting can be arranged.
Paul-Emile Cloutier says the news is a relief as the looming departure of the resident physicians would have left health-care gaps in hospitals across the country.
Cloutier says the development also gives institutions more time to plan for future decisions regarding Saudi Arabian medical residents.
Saudi Arabia initially told their medical trainees in Canada to leave by Aug. 31. That came after the country suspended diplomatic relations with Canada in response to a government tweet that criticized the Saudis for the arrest of female social activists.
