Image Credit: Flickr / Government of B.C.

By Amna Shah, Surrey-City Centre MLA

Sound Off

SOUND OFF: Welcoming B.C.’s future doctors

Oct 22, 2025 | 10:30 AM

EVERY PERSON DESERVES to have accessible, affordable health care that they can count on close to home.

As an MLA, I know that healthcare options are top of mind for my community and that’s why our government has been making major investments in Surrey that will not only expand local healthcare access but will also benefit the whole province.

Last week, applications opened for SFU’s School of Medicine, the first new medical school in western Canada in nearly 60 years. The first class of students will start in August of 2026 and begin at the current SFU Surrey Campus in the interim, as well as a space nearby. Both are being renovated to be suitable for medical studies with state-of-the-art classrooms and labs.

Across the province, especially in rural, remote and Indigenous communities, primary care physicians are needed urgently. This new school will focus on training future doctors who specialize in community-level, team-based care, while also helping graduates prepare to take on other specialties in residency programs.

While these new students begin their exciting medical career, we’ll be building the school’s brand-new permanent home in Surrey City Centre — and site work is already underway, conveniently right beside the Surrey Central SkyTrain station.

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The exciting new 12-storey building will be the future “Centre Block,” with SFU occupying eight floors with classrooms, workspaces, clinical and research spaces, a childcare centre and an outpatient clinic. This will make sure future students have everything they need to train to be caring, conscientious, knowledgeable doctors.

This medical school will also be conveniently close to Surrey’s brand-new hospital and B.C. Cancer centre, which will make Surrey a hub for world-class health care and serve British Columbians from all over the Lower Mainland and the province.

For graduates from the medical school who want to stay in B.C. and practice in communities where they are most needed, they will be eligible for the B.C. Loan Forgiveness Program. This helps students with up to 20 per cent of their B.C. Student loans if they begin their careers as doctors in underserved communities with identified workforce shortages.

I am so thrilled to welcome the new students next year.

We’re building a healthcare system that meets people where they are — and we’re training the future doctors of B.C. right here in Surrey.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.