Amid a province-wide doctor shortage, a new family physician has arrived in Enderby and has begun seeing patients Wednesday, Sept. 18.
Dr. Husni Abdalla, originally from Kenya, was recruited through the Practice Ready Assessment BC Program, which brings internationally trained family physicians to B.C. communities, according to Darren Klassen with Interior Health.
Abdalla will work primarily at the Enderby Community Health Centre providing full-service, longitudinal primary care. He will also spend time at Enderby's Parkview Place long-term care facility and the Shuswap Lake General Hospital in Salmon Arm.
Enderby currently has just one other physician, Dr. Patrick Mafulu, and two nurse practitioners.
"With Dr. Abdalla on board, we will now have four primary care providers at the centre, enhancing our ability to meet the health care needs of the Enderby community," said Klassen. "We anticipate that Dr. Abdalla will be able to attach greater than 1,000 patients over time, helping to improve access to primary care in our area."
Residents looking for a primary care provider can register on the , the official waitlist in B.C.
"Dr. Abdalla will work closely with our local health team and the Health Connect Registry to connect patients on the waitlist with the care they need," said Klassen.
"We91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™re committed to ensuring that everyone in the community has access to the health care services they need, and we are confident that Dr. Abdalla91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s addition to our team will greatly benefit local residents."
Enderby Mayor Huck Galbraith said improved healthcare access in the community was the biggest issue he heard when he ran for mayor in 2022. He said he was in discussions with Interior Health about getting another doctor in the community and it "came together quick at the end," with the health authority telling him it had a doctor who wanted to come to a smaller community.
"I think he's going to be a great doctor for our community," said Galbraith, who has met with Abdalla and his family.
Galbraith said it's one thing to attract a physician to the community, but it's "a whole other thing to retain them." He said physicians need to feel welcomed in the community if they're going to stick around.
With that in mind, he organized a community welcome basket for Abdalla, inviting the community to bring donations for the basket to city hall before the basket was presented to him Wednesday morning.
