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.
Jonathon Naylor Editor Flin Flon has scored the health care equivalent of a hat trick with three new physicians recently joining the NRHA Medical Clinic. And with so many residents looking for a family physician, Drs. Nargis Siddiqi, Amir El Masry and Chaitasi Intwala are certainly feeling wanted. "Not at all," laughs Dr. Intwala when asked if she is having trouble building up a patient load. Originally from India, Dr. Intwala saw Flin Flon as an ideal place to begin her practise. "Here, lots of people have [had] no family doctor for many, many years, and they really need [one]," Dr. Intwala says. "Primary care is something that I love doing and I enjoy it, so it is an opportunity." Won over Dr. Siddiqi, who hails from Pakistan, says she was won over by Lois Moberly, the executive director of clinical services at the hospital, where the clinic is now based. "I felt very comfortable with her and I thought that she would be supportive..." says Dr. Siddiqi. "You need a supportive environment." Having spent time working at the immense Toronto General Hospital, Dr. Siddiqi knows she is in for a transition. "There will be challenges, of course," Dr. Siddiqi says. "It's not going to be like Toronto General Hospital, where everything is available in five minutes, like as soon as the patient comes in then we can order an MRI and CT and it is done within 15 minutes. That's not going to happen, but I think we will be able to overcome the challenges and hopefully we'll be able to do good." See 'Quiet...' on pg. 7 Continued from pg. 1 A native of Egypt, Dr. El Masry comes to Flin Flon after a year of training in B.C. and a year in the University of Manitoba's medical residential program in Winnipeg. Not surprisingly, he had other offers. "I chose Flin Flon as it's good to work in a good work environment," says Dr. El Masry. "I know that people here are very good, and [there is] a healthy work environment in the hospital, in the office. So I appreciate to work in this quiet place where good facilities are available." Dr. El Masry is no stranger to smaller centres, have been trained in lightly populated cities back in Egypt. Flin Flon may mark a more dramatic shift for Dr. Siddiqi, but she is relishing it so far. "It's okay for me," Dr. Siddiqi says with a laugh. "It is remote, but it's okay, not too bad. So far I've enjoyed being over here. Even if I was in Toronto, it's the same for me. I'm away from my country and whether I'm in Toronto or here, it's okay." Settling in Though the three doctors are still settling in, they are bound to be asked whether they plan to stay in Flin Flon long-term. Dr. Intwala says that is a difficult question so early on, but what will matter to her as a physician is the profile of her patients and how she is treated. Dr. El Masry relayed how when he first moved to Canada, he had in the back of his mind the idea of leaving after a few years. "But as I stayed, I appreciated to stay in Canada and changed my mind completely," says Dr. El Masry. That sounds a lot like the countless stories of people who moved to Flin Flon, ostensibly for a year or two, only to stay for decades. Whether that happens with Dr. El Masry remains to be seen, though he happily noted that the NRHA offers him more equipment and space than he had anticipated. Dr. Siddiqi says she hopes to be caring for her patients in Flin Flon for some time. "And I hope we will be able to serve the patients well and they'll be happy with us," Dr. Siddiqi says as her two new colleagues look on. Arrival The arrival of the three doctors gives the clinic seven physicians in total in light of Dr. Galal Fahim's recent decision to leave the community. The NRHA Medical Clinic opened on the third floor of the hospital on Feb. 1, bringing together under one roof most local health care services. With 6,770 sq. feet of space, the clinic comes with brand new equipment, sunshine-filled offices and a faux-marble floor that sparkles in the light. Eleven consultation rooms are used by permanent doctors and visiting specialists. There is also a nursing station, a medical records storage facility and a waiting room that accommodates more than 40 people. Set aside as well is a private room for patients who rely on MBTelehealth, the province's distance-delivery health care program.
