January 22, 2015
MILK RIVER — Physician recruitment efforts in southern Alberta continue to progress with the recent signing of two new family physicians for the Town of Milk River.
Dr. Petrus Krog and Dr. Adaku Ifebuzor are expected to arrive in southern Alberta this spring and should begin practising at the Milk River Health Centre this summer or fall following clinical assessment with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA).
“This is very good news for the people of Milk River,” says Dr. Liesl Lewke-Bogle, a family doctor whose practice in Milk River spans more than 35 years. “The people here are looking forward to the arrival of two new physicians who can settle in and become part of community life.”
Dr. Vanessa Maclean, Medical Director for the South Zone of Alberta Health Services, says recruiting physicians to rural communities is a nationwide challenge.
“We’re not just trying to fill positions,” Dr. Maclean says. “We’re looking for the right physicians for communities like Milk River – physicians who want to practise in a small, rural community; who understand the needs of such a community; and who would enjoy the quality of life that comes with living there. With these two physicians, we believe we have found that match.”
Dr. Krog completed his medical studies in 2009 at the University of Pretoria. He was involved with the Red Cross and did air transport of sick surgical and medical patients across South Africa, as well as emergency medicine shifts for both medical and surgical patients.
Dr. Ifebuzor received her Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Benin in Nigeria. She relocated to South Africa to complete her Master of Medicine at the University of Limpopo.
AHS has recruited 70 physicians into its South Zone last year. Of those, 49 are now practising and 21 physicians are in the process of completing education or assessment, and will begin work in the South Zone later this year.
Allan Ostenberg – chairman of Milk River’s Doctor Recruitment Committee, which includes Dr. Lewke-Bogle and local leaders – thanks his committee members for their ongoing recruitment efforts in the community.
Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than four million adults and children living in Alberta. Its mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans.
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