OTTAWA: More than 95 percent of places available to non-Canadian doctors in a fellowship and specialization program in Canadian medical schools have been acquired by Saudi Arabian doctors, the Saudi cultural attaché in Canada, Dr. Fawzi bin Abdulghani Bukhari, announced on Thursday. He attributed the reason to the efficiency and excellence of Saudi doctors and the distinguished relations enjoyed by the Cultural Mission for more than 40 years with all Canadian medical schools, in addition to the support being provided for the Scholarship Program in general. For the academic year 2018/2019, 514 places were awarded — 93 in fellowship programs and 421 in the programs of sub-specialization, fine-specialization, research fellowship and scientific communication. The number of applications received for applicants from within the Kingdom exceeded 1,000, in addition to 230 applications submitted by doctors still studying in Canada.