Seven new physicians recruited to Fort McMurray post-wildfire

FORT McMURRAY — Residents of Fort McMurray will soon have increased access to pediatrics, psychiatry, anesthesiology and family medicine with obstetrics, with the successful recent recruitment of seven new physicians to the city.

This includes the recruitment of two new pediatricians, to help meet the growing need in this young community.

Dr. Rajeev Peeka and Dr. Ngozika Okoye have accepted positions in Fort McMurray as pediatricians and are expected to begin seeing patients this spring-summer.

“Fort McMurray is a young, growing community that requires maternity and pediatric services to support that growth,” says Dr. Kevin Worry, Medical Director in the North Zone of Alberta Health Services (AHS). “I am very pleased that Dr. Peeka and Dr. Okoye have made the decision to practise and live here in Fort McMurray.”

Dr. Peeka completed his pediatric education in the United Kingdom and has worked for more than 20 years in various regions of the U.K, including work in both community and hospital pediatric settings. Dr. Peeka has experience in neonatology, ADHD and audiology.

Dr. Okoye completed her pediatric education in the U.S. and most of her work experience has been in a hospital setting. She and her family recently moved here from Maryland. 

The addition of Dr. Peeka and Dr. Okoye brings the total number of pediatricians in Fort McMurray to five, the highest number since 2012. AHS continues to recruit for additional pediatricians for the city.

AHS is also pleased to announce the successful recruitment of a psychiatrist to Fort McMurray.

Dr. Kishore Sindhi, who will be seeing both children and adults, has been practicing psychiatry for many years, with the most recent few years being in Canada. He and his family will be moving to Fort McMurray from New Brunswick by mid-summer.

AHS is continuing to recruit additional psychiatrists for Fort McMurray, with two additional psychiatrists – one adult, one child – scheduled for site visits shortly.

Additionally, AHS is pleased to announce the recruitment of Dr. Danielle Joubert and Dr. Saeed Labbaf, two anesthesiologists, who are expected to join our local surgical team this fall. These additions provide key supports for Fort McMurray’s valued OR program.

Dr. Saeed Labbaf is very familiar with the residents of Fort McMurray as he has been providing locum support to the community for the last couple of years. We are very pleased he decided to move to Fort McMurray and join the team on a full-time basis.

Dr. Joubert, her husband and young daughter are excited to move to Fort McMurray from South Africa.

Finally, AHS is pleased to announce the recruitment of Dr. Tina Tom and Dr. Asra Segok, two Family Medicine physicians with experience in low-risk obstetrics. This brings the number of physicians committed to delivering babies in Fort McMurray to seven.

Dr. Tom recently moved from South Africa to Fort McMurray with her husband and is looking forward to providing family medicine services and continuing her passion for delivering babies.  

Dr. Segok, originally trained in Libya, is bringing both her family and her passion for Family Medicine with obstetrics to the Fort McMurray community. Both family medicine physicians are expected to be seeing patients before early fall. 

The number of physicians in Fort McMurray in the areas of Obstetrics, Pediatrics, and Family Medicine has modestly grown over the last four years.

“Fort McMurray is well-served by an excellent team of physicians already practising in the city but we are very excited to be able to add to that team and provide further healthcare resources to the community,” says Dr. Worry. “It can be challenging to recruit to the more remote areas of Alberta, and that is certainly true of Fort McMurray. But we are committed to ensuring the community has the resources it needs and deserves.”
 
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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