Residents of Alberton and O’Leary will soon be welcoming five new doctors to the area. Three physicians will be practising out of Alberton and two will be filling a position in O’Leary.
The first to arrive is Dr. Eunice Hove. She will begin her practice as a family physician at Western Hospital in May. Dr. Hove came to Prince Edward Island in September, 2007, for a site visit with her husband, Dr. Li Hove, and they both fell in love with West Prince. Dr. Li Hove, also a family practitioner, arrives on the Island in June and will be practising at Western Hospital.
Dr. Adnan Bejalin will be arriving on Prince Edward Island in May and will also begin his practice at Western Hospital next month. With the arrival of Dr. Li Hove in June, the physician complement in Alberton will be filled.
“The arrival of these new doctors is great news for the residents of Alberton and O’Leary,” said Health Minister, Doug Currie. “The competition to recruit physicians is fierce and I’m extremely pleased with the progress our government is making as we work toward filling the complement of family physicians on PEI. As part of our focused recruitment efforts, the Department of Health continues to work with Citizenship and Immigration Canada and Human Resources and Social Development Canada to assist in the immigration progress for highly skilled physicians.”
In June, residents of O’Leary will also welcome two doctors to the community. Dr. Tim Alston and Dr. Andries Van Zyl will work together sharing one full-time-equivalent position at Community Hospital. Dr. Alston and Dr. Van Zyl are already well known to residents in the area as they have both been working in locum positions.
The arrival of these two physicians brings the total number of physicians in O’Leary up to four; the complement in O’Leary is five. The last position is expected to be filled this fall by a physician who is currently working through the immigration process.