The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Three Flin Flon physicians have handed in their resignations, but two new doctors are expected to arrive next spring to help fill the void. Dr. Tahseen Mahdi, formerly the lead physician of the ER, has resigned and will not return to the hospital or the clinic. Two other physicians, Drs. A. Elyas and Nargis Siddiqi, have given their notice and will leave in December. Helga Bryant, CEO of the Northern Health Region, said temporary, or locum, physicians will be hired 'to augment our numbers on an as needed basis.' 'This is also a way to ensure our existing physicians have needed time off,' she said. Bryant said the NHR will continually monitor capacity and utilization at the clinic and ER, 'making appropriate adjustments as they are required.' Glenn Hildebrand, spokesperson for the NHR, said Drs. Elyas and Siddiqi both recently completed their College of Family Physicians of Canada certification. 'This is often a trigger to the loss of doctors for us, unfortunately,' he said. See 'NHR' on pg. Continued from pg. The CFPC is the legal certifying body for family medicine in Canada, accrediting postgraduate family medicine training in Canadian medical schools. Excluding locum physicians, the NHR Medical Clinic at the Flin Flon General Hospital will have four doctors following the departure of Drs. Elyas and Siddiqi. Bryant said the NHR is 'continually recruiting physicians' and expects two additional doctors to start work in Flin Flon in the spring of 2014. She said two new nurse practitioners _ nurses with special training in diagnosing diseases _ will also begin work next spring. Bryant said physicians based elsewhere in the NHR will assist Flin Flon as well. She said the NHR will solicit public cooperation 'in making good decisions about when and how to access care from their doctor. 'Here is an example of what that might look like: 'When you are wanting to see a doctor for a health-related issue, you should take into account the following to make good decisions on what your best course of action should be: 'ÊMaking an appointment with your own family doctor is always preferable as her or she knows you and your health issues best. This may mean you need to wait two or three days or even more to get in to see your particular doctor; ' If you can't wait, based on how you are feeling, make an appointment with the a physician with the next available appointment. This may result in seeing a doctor sooner, by increasing the doctors available to see you; ' Come to the Flin Flon Clinic and wait to see a doctor. We will do our best to 'squeeze you in' as time is available between patients on the doctor's schedule. While there are no guarantees, we will do our best to have you seen that day; ' As a last resort, and depending on your condition, you can go to the Emergency Room, be assessed, and see a doctor based on how sick you are and the doctor's availability. Keep in mind this may involve a considerable wait. 'Advanced planning can go a long way toward cutting down on wait times and ensuring you can see your primary care provider in a timely way to get the care you need. Your cooperation and patience are appreciated as we strive to ensure Healthy People in a Healthy North.'
