Misunderstanding about placement leaves Sask. town short another doctor
A doctor has left Saskatchewan following confusion about where he would be working, leaving a rural town short another physician.
Dr. Karim Ahmed, a Canadian citizen who has experience working in Egypt and Australia, moved his family halfway around the world from Australia to Regina after accepting a three-year rural posting through the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA).
He believed that his request to work within an hour of Regina would be accommodated, but found out he had been assigned to Canora – nearly a three-hour drive from the city – after he moved to Canada.
“When I tried to negotiate my community of practice, the SHA people were not really very flexible,” said Ahmed.
“When I asked if it was okay to work in Weyburn or Indian Head or Moose Jaw or any other place that’s closer to Regina, I was just told that Canora was my only option and to basically either just take it or leave it so I left it.”
Ahmed and his family left Saskatchewan this week to visit relatives in Ontario and regroup. Ahmed said he already has three offers in Australia.
“They made it seem like Canora was the only place that was really short of doctors in the province, and that they couldn’t find me anywhere else to go,” said Ahmed.
Premier Scott Moe says the situation is unfortunate.
“It’s unfortunate if one of them is leaving because they aren’t within an hour of a major centre but ultimately, Canora and other areas are places where we do need physicians and we want to ensure that we are recruiting and retaining physicians in those areas,” said Moe.
Missing out on a doctor was upsetting to the community of Wolseley, which is located within an hour of Regina.
“We believe that there could be additional doctors brought into the area. Indian Head is severely lacking in the ability to process a lot of the people. Wolseley, the same thing,” said Wolseley mayor Gerald Hill.
The NDP leader believes foreign doctors should be afforded some flexibility.
“If we are hearing about physicians who are leaving because they were sent to one community and had no other choices, that’s obviously not for the benefit of Saskatchewan,” said Ryan Meili.
Ahmed did have good things to say about Saskatchewan, he praised the program designed to attract foreign physicians although not the way it turned out in his case.
“I would have gladly served in Saskatchewan, I would have done my three-year contract, maybe I would have even stayed after that… they just ruined all my plans.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Her fiance has been in prison for 49 years. She's trying to free him before it’s too late
She was lying in bed on a Thursday morning, thinking about the man she loved, hoping to win his freedom before time ran out.