Estevan’s newest physicians are a husband-and-wife tandem, and they’re excited to be in the community.
Dr. Ahmed Belal and Dr. Hanan Yazid were introduced to the community on Wednesday afternoon during a press conference. They will be practising out of the Estevan Medical Centre at 137 King Street.
Both graduated from Alexandria University in Egypt in 1998. Yazid possesses a post-graduate degree in family health, while Belal has post-graduate training in anesthesiology. They resided in Egypt and Kuwait before relocating to Canada in 2011.
They lived and worked in Ottawa from 2011-2015, and in Edmonton since 2015, before coming to Estevan. They are also Canadian citizens.
Estevan has made a favourable first impression on the couple.
“We like the place,” said Belal. “It’s very clean, and the people here are so nice and kind. We are welcomed everywhere. We are so excited to start working, and to help the people of Estevan, as they deserve this help.”
The couple came here the first time two years ago when they were recruited by St. Joseph’s Hospital. When they were here, they knew they belonged.
They are also pleased to be working at the Estevan Medical Centre, with two of the most tenured physicians in the city, Dr. Edward Tsoi and Dr. Allison Christie.
“This is the best model we were looking for, to get a group of physicians, with experience … working in the clinic, so that we can care for the patients, and get the guidance from the physicians here,” said Belal.
“They are very well organized, they have a full team of service here. I think it’s a very good start for any doctor coming to Estevan.”
Yazid said that when they came to Estevan two years ago, they were offered to work at the medical centre, or to have their own clinic.
“When we met with Dr. Tsoi, we found that he’s very helpful, actually, and it would be a great help for us to start, because we don’t have a lot of experience to start on our own, so we decided to be here.”
The couple is ready to start practising, but they still have a couple of hurdles to clear. St. Joseph’s Hospital executive director Greg Hoffort said they still need approval from the last of the regulatory bodies before they start, but that is scheduled to happen any day.
“Our assumption is by next week they’ll be practising,” said Hoffort.
Since arriving in Estevan, they have been walking and driving around the community a lot, getting to know the city.
“It’s a nice, small city,” said Yazid. “So you get everything you can find in the big city, a lot of supermarkets, a gym, the hospital and different facilities, but at the same time, it’s compact. It’s smaller than the big city. You won’t be lost in it.”
Belal added that it’s very different from where they have practiced in Canada, as it might take an hour to get home in Edmonton.
Their hometown in Egypt, Alexandria, has five million people and is very crowded, they said.
Belal and Yazid have an 18-year-old son who is looking to study neuroscience in Alberta, and a 17-year-old daughter who is in high school.
“Hopefully they will be physicians,” said Belal.
“We are suggesting that they come to Estevan when they’re done,” added Yazid.
Hoffort is pleased to have two more physicians in Estevan. They have been recruiting them for a while.
“The process to get certified in Canada as a physician is an extraordinary process, but we’re happy to have them finally arrive and join the health care team in Estevan,” said Hoffort.
With their addition, Estevan now has 12 physicians, including 10 general practitioners and two specialists.
“It’s still a little bit of a heavy load for the physicians, so our recruiting efforts are continuing, so that’s where we’ll be for the next little while here,” said Hoffort. “It’s a nice relief for the family medicine physicians who have been carrying the load for quite some time to have the three newest physicians in the last few weeks join the team.”
Hoffort hopes a few more can join Estevan’s roster of medical doctors in the fall.
