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New general surgeon announced for St. Paul

General surgeon and new family medicine physician coming to St. Paul in 2021
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File photo

ST. PAUL - St. Paul will be welcoming a new general surgeon and a new family medicine physician in 2021, according to an official announcement from Alberta Health Services (AHS) on Tuesday morning.

The new doctors have been recruited through the efforts of AHS, government and community partners, according to AHS.

"The new general surgeon is expected to be practising in St. Paul in February, and will be moving here with family from Saskatchewan in the coming months. Recruitment for this position began last month after the town’s previous general surgeon announced a move to Cold Lake," reads the statement from AHS.

During Monday night's Town of St. Paul council meeting, Mayor Maureen Miller said a recent "community tour" with a potential physician went very well. She noted at the time, that unofficially, a new surgeon had been found for the community.

Following the announcement by AHS on Tuesday, Miller affirmed her excitement about the news.

"This is a great announcement for our community," said the mayor. "I would like to thank MLA Hanson and the Ministry of Health along side AHS in supporting the strong initiative to fill these vacancies."

“It is very exciting that a new general surgeon is coming to work in St. Paul,” said Dr. Albert Harmse, Acting Zone Medical Director, North Zone. “We heard from the community, including from other local physicians, and their perspective and input on the need for recruitment to begin for a new general surgeon right away was instrumental to this work. We are pleased we’ve been able to make progress so quickly, and looking forward to welcoming a new surgeon to St. Paul.”  

The new surgeon accepted the position on Nov. 6 and more information about the surgeon and the anticipated start date will be shared as it becomes available, according to AHS.

In September, three St. Paul doctors spoke with LakelandToday, offering a bleak prognosis for health services in St. Paul and area, citing the imminent departure of a local general surgeon would create a domino effect that would be difficult to reverse. Since then, AHS has received formal resignation from two doctors in the community.

On Tuesday, AHS also announced a new family medicine physician had been recruited and is expected to start working in St. Paul by April. This physician will be joining the community from overseas and AHS is working closely with the physician and the College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPSA) to finalize details. 

“We appreciate the support of local physicians and community members,” said Greg Cummings, Chief Zone Officer for AHS North Zone. “By working together, we can ensure that our recruitment processes are transparent and co-operative. Recruiting a physician to a rural or remote location is a complex process and requires a collaborative approach.” 

Miller offered thanks to Dr. Ahmad, the St. Paul surgeon who will be moving to Cold Lake, and noted that she is "grateful that he has chosen to continue providing his expertise to the Lakeland from the Cold Lake Hospital." 

MLA David Hanson was quoted in Tuesday's statement from AHS, saying, “I’m thrilled to see more doctors coming to our region."

He added, “St. Paul has had a challenging year and I know this will alleviate many concerns our community has faced. I look forward to continuing to work with the physicians in St. Paul to improve health delivery in our area.”  

Earlier this year, two new psychiatrists starting praticing at the St. Therese - St. Paul Healthcare Centre. Both Dr. Shahnawaz Khan and Dr. Edward Julian Bravo-Naranjo arrived in the community in early March.

Check back for more updates. Story was updated at 11:30 a.m., Nov. 10, with quotes from Mayor Maureen Miller.


Janice Huser

About the Author: Janice Huser

Janice Huser has been with the St. Paul Journal since 2006. She is a graduate of the SAIT print media journalism program, is originally from St. Paul and has a passion for photography.
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