The Big Wait

The doctor shortage is getting critical and one town is desperately trying to recruit physicians. At the same time, three internationally trained doctors are trying to get licensed to practice medicine in their new country. This is the potent story documented in The Big Wait, a new film produced by Joanne Jackson for Brilliant Red Media and OMNI Television. The Northern Ontario community of Midland-Penetanguishene forms the backdrop for this candid look at the effects of bureaucracy on the health of the nation. The Big Wait focuses on three foreign-trained doctors who are waiting to get accredited and on the rural communities who are waiting for them. While the doctors face unforeseen challenges trying to do what they were trained to do, the town searches for doctors willing to set-up a family practice in their community. The Big Wait features a journey of parallel story lines. Will the community of Midland-Penetanguishene find its doctors? And, will the international doctors find a way to get into the system? It’s the true story of patients and doctors on a human journey in the changing medical landscape.