A new family physician has joined Easthill Medical Clinic and is now accepting patients.
Dr. Kamal Mustafa, who previously practised in Ontario and Saudi Arabia and received his medical education in Pakistan, will also provide care in local continuing care facilities, and work as a hospitalist and provide palliative care at the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre.
“Red Deer has a growing healthcare sector and offers many opportunities for physicians to grow their careers,” said Mustafa said in a statement.
“The city also offers a balance of urban amenities and a more relaxed lifestyle compared to larger centres, which is appealing to physicians who are seeking a better work-life balance.”
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New funding won’t take the pressure off, says Red Deer family doctor
In January family doctors took to social media as part of the Alberta Medical Association’s SOS campaign to let the public know just how close they were to closing their doors due to financial and workload pressures.
AMA president Dr. Paul Parks said Albertans were already aware that many of their fellow citizens didn’t have a family doctor, but they learned that 25 to 30 per cent of those who had family doctors were at risk of losing them in the next six months.
“I think that really hit home for Albertans and it did kind of push the needle further over so that the government would act quicker and work with us,” Parks said.
He said since then $67 million in stabilization funding has gone out to doctors which was the first critical step.
“Next is getting that new funding model rolled out. It will absolutely help us not only retain our current precious resource, the family medicine specialists we have and rural generalists, but also recruit more.”
He said Alberta has been at a disadvantage in Western Canada when it comes to retaining and recruiting family doctors.
“Manitoba, Saskatchewan and B.C. have all made very significant investments in new funding models for family medicine. They’re ahead of us for sure.”
Parks said the AMA has been pushing for a new funding model that will make family medicine viable so doctors can focus more on providing comprehensive care at their clinics instead of opting to work in hospitals where they earn more.
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New Red Deer family physician accepting patients
Alberta Health Services says it continues to recruit for physicians across the Central Zone to meet community needs.
AHS has physician resource planners dedicated to identifying and pursuing international and domestic physician recruitment opportunities. They work closely with community partners and organizations, such as local Health Advisory Councils, the Rural Health Professions Action Plan, and independent physician recruitment and retention committees.
Health Minister Adriana LaGrange, and Red Deer-North MLA, said the arrival of Dr. Mustafa is wonderful news for patients in both Red Deer and Central Alberta.
“The recruitment of physicians with the skill set of Dr. Kamal Mustafa to the community will help ensure timely access to services for people throughout the region,” LaGrange said.
Meet-and-greet appointments with Mustafa can be arranged by calling Easthill Medical Clinic at 403-343-0115.
Easthill Medical Clinic now has four physicians.