There’s a new physician in town and with the new addition to the local medical staff Estevan now has full coverage for obstetric services.
Dr. Edward Krickan, who recently finished a two-year residency training in family medicine and an additional year of enhanced surgical skills training, said he’s passionate about rural healthcare and is looking forward to working in a dynamic community.
“My long term goals are to establish in a full scope family practice, and by full scope I mean not only cradle to the grave care with obstetrics and throughout the age range to geriatrics, but also using my skills that I’ve learned over the last couple years to do surgery as well,” said Krickan.
“I think rural care and keeping patients in the community is one of the things I really found value in when I was doing my training and if we can start keeping more and more things here in Estevan then the community will benefit and so will the services at the hospital.”
He added Estevan is a great balance of being a smaller prairie town with a good mix of services and being closer to bigger centres, the community is a perfect fit for his young family.
Kricken will begin his new position at St. Joseph’s Hospital on Aug. 1.
Greg Hoffort, executive director at St. Joseph’s Hospital, said Krickan is a welcome addition to the local medical staff and his ability to do caesarean sections is essential to running the city’s obstetrics program.
“There’s often a need for a C-section so now with the two physicians in town that can perform that service, we’re fully covered and very excited about that,” said Hoffort.
“Up until this point for the last several years, we’ve had typically one physician that could perform those functions and now with two, it just takes it to a new level and full coverage is what we’re looking for a we’re thrilled to have achieved it.”
After one of the previous physicians at St. Joseph’s Hospital left last fall Hoffort said he heard loud and clear from the community that the vacancy was one that needed to be filled.
"We have a fully functioning obstetrics program and a key part of that for us is to have the physicians that can handle the care requirements of that and one of them is the high-risk pregnancies and maternity cases,” he said.
