Chester Gillan, Minister of Health today announced further progress in physician recruitment efforts for the province. The announcement was made in the legislature when the Minister reviewed physicians who are filling vacancies this year created by retiring or departed physicians and those who are filling new physician roles.
Dr. Nabeel Alansari will be working in Emergency Medicine as a replacement physician at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Emergency Department starting in May. Dr. Alansari has been providing locum services in the province since November, 2006.
Dr. Mohammed Shanti will also be practicing Emergency Medicine at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. This is a new position as a result of the complement being increased in the QEH Emergency Department. He is currently working through the immigration process and is expected to arrive in June.
Dr. Amy MacFarlane is working in Family Medicine in the Charlottetown area and took over Dr. Mona Reck’s practice in March. Dr. Reck will continue to provide services in the province in the areas of Oncology, Palliative care, and as a house physician in nursing homes.
Dr. Kris Saunders will be practicing Family Medicine in Charlottetown beginning in June as a replacement physician. Dr. Kristy Newson will also be practicing Family Medicine in Charlottetown as a replacement beginning on June 4.
Dr. Andrew Hamilton has just started working as a Hospitalist at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital on April 23. This is a new position which provides in-hospital family physician services to patients who are being treated in the hospital and do not have an assigned family physician.
Dr. Sean Ferguson will be replacing a physician who plans to retire in Obstetrics/ Gynecology in the Charlottetown area beginning in June.
Dr. Stewart Campbell plans to practice as a replacement in Orthopedics within the Charlottetown area beginning in September.
Dr. Peter Midgley has accepted a position as a replacement in Vascular Surgery in Charlottetown beginning in June.
Dr. Hany Farag will be practicing Obstetrics/Gynecology in the Summerside area beginning in July. Dr. Farag will be replacing Dr. Laval King who has semi-retired.
Dr. Bassim Youwakim will be practicing Family Medicine as a replacement in the Summerside area beginning in July.
Dr. David Morgan is now practicing Family Medicine as a replacement in O’Leary. He began working full time in February of this year.
Dr. Abdulrahem Laftah has been practicing as a long-term locum in the O’Leary area and recently provided a commitment to remain practicing in the West Prince area. Dr. Nabil Al-Kayssi has been practicing as a long-term locum in the Alberton area. He has indicated he will continue working as a replacement.
At this point, verbal commitment has been given by six additional family physicians and specialists who are expected to arrive in the province by the fall.
“We recognize the immense contributions of physicians who have departed, retired, or who have sadly passed away,” added Minister Gillan. “This recruitment effort is a testament to the dedicated efforts of the Medical Programs Division of the Department of Health in collaboration with the efforts of physicians and other healthcare providers across the province.”
The Department of Health Medical Programs Division continues to work collaboratively with physicians across PEI to implement the enhanced Physician Recruitment and Retention Strategy.
There will be continued efforts to fill the 8.4 remaining physician vacancies in the province through upcoming physician site visits. Vacancies still exist in the family medicine, opthalmology, physical medicine, emergency medicine, radiology, internal medicine and addiction services.