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Legislators Georgia have introduced a legislation this week to facilitate international medical graduates as doctors in the state. A supporter of Pathway Health and immigration that explains that it is crucial for combating the current and future lack of work.
Four senators – two Republicans and two democrats from all over the state – submitted a proposal on Tuesday that would enable doctors who trained in overseas and fulfilled the US license standards in order to train as doctors in renowned Georgia health organizations.
After two years of training, those who met the benchmarks of the program were able to apply for a different license with which they were able to practice in sub -supplied communities or at the teaching colleg. Two years later, people in this program had entitled to apply for a complete medical license.
Legislators have introduced similar laws at the meeting of the past year, but did not complete it, even after the language has been converted into other bills. Kim Jackson, a Democrat and the Senior Sponsor of Invision 2024 and 2025, said in December that she would expect this year's proposal with cross -party support.
The health professions in Georgia have been asking for such a law for over a decade to eliminate the growing basic layer for basic care and to improve the culturally competent care of patients with a migration background. Dr. Gulshan Harjee, co -founder of the Mosaic Health Center (formerly Clarkston Community Health Center) and a migrant trained in the USA, said that she has been used for an accessible path for international medical graduates since the beginning of 2010.
“We need doctors and they need work,” Harjee told Healthbeat in November. “How can we make it possible?”
The new invoice was highlighted on Thursday in the Central Presbyterian Church Sanctuary opposite the State Capitol. There, the coalition for refugee services organized its annual new American celebration, an event for and against guidelines that affect migrants, immigrants and refugees from Georgia.
Before the hundreds of participants walked across the street to speak to their representatives, Emily Laney, Executive Director of Tucker Refugee Advocacy, non-profit organization The Welcome Co-OP, showed an important legislation about which the international medical license laws speak.
“It is a great opportunity to really promote the positive contributions from immigrants in our state,” she told the audience from the church pulpit. “It's really exciting.”
Whitney Kweskin is a senior program manager of the New American Pathways of the Atlanta Refugee Service Group. She said that in her past 15 years she had worked with the organization with many international medical specialists who would like to close state health gaps if they have given the chance.
Like Jackson, she hopes that this will be the year in which Georgia has completed this legislation.
“It really has to happen,” said Kweskin. “The faster this happens, the faster the people can provide better in rural areas.”
The draft law was assigned to the Senate Committee for regulated industries and supply companies.
All Siegler is a reporter who covers public health in Atlanta for Healthbeat. Contact everyone at assiegler@healthbeat.org.
