They come from big cities, but seem to be enjoying Humboldt's small town feel. Three new doctors have started working out of the Humboldt Clinic within the past few weeks, seeing patients both in Humboldt and in Watson and Bruno. Dr. Ashraf Moola, 30, and Dr. Naseeba Moosa, 27, are a young, married couple who came all the way from South Africa to Humboldt, just to experience a different part of the world. How did they choose Humboldt?They went through a recruitment company, and they placed the two somewhere they thought appropriate, based on their needs, Moosa explained. As the pair are of the Muslim faith, they wanted to be within an hour of a mosque, to allow them to attend services regularly. They also wanted a place that was not too rural, but with that small town feel. Humboldt fit the bill. Both Moola and Moosa grew up in large cities of between three and four million people. And they've worked at hospitals that serviced one million people. "So we were looking to come to a different setting. We've done big cities," Moosa said. "We liked it over there, but we came for a new experience in a different (part of the world)," said Moola. "We were only used to very, very busy hospitals and clinics, where we'd see 50 to 100 patients a day. (We wanted) something completely different than what we are used to."Canada is renowned for its good public health system, Moosa noted, so they decided to explore it for a few years while they are young and it's easy to travel and see the world. They passed all the tests required of foreign doctors looking to practise in Canada and are now seeing patients in Humboldt.They didn't know much about Humboldt before they arrived, Moola noted, but they knew it had everything they wanted in a community - things like a cinema and a golf course - and that it was not too far from a major city. All these things made it a nice place to move to, he indicated. "Humboldt wanted us, so we said, 'Cool, we are going'," said Moosa, the more vivacious and outgoing of the pair, who describe themselves as "easy-going." So far, the community has lived up to their expectations, they said. People have been welcoming and friendly, more so than they are used to in big centres."All our experiences are new," said Moola. "We're used to big city life."They do miss their families, they admitted, but hope to stay in Canada for about three years."It seems like a good choice so far," said Moosa. "I like seeing less patients, talking with them. I enjoy how busy I am at the moment."The third doctor to start at the clinic in recent weeks is Dr. Terence Davids, who also hails from South Africa. Humboldt is also his first place to practise in Canada, besides Melfort, where he worked as part of his assessment program. At 33 years old, Davids has already practised medicine in South Africa for 10 years, mainly in internal medicine, but as a general practitioner as well. He considered applying to practise outside of South Africa in 2004, he said, but then decided not to leave. Over the years, he's received a lot of information from Canada and Britain, urging doctors to come to these countries, so he thought he'd give it a try now. Why he chose Canada is "kind of hard to say," he smiled. "Somehow, the Lord led me to come here," he said. He does have a few friends in Canada, he said, but the country is so big, they are all rather far away. Humboldt seemed like a good place to practise as it is close to Saskatoon. "Being from South Africa, I knew little about Saskatchewan," he said. He knew only what he was told by the placement agency, and some research he did on the Internet. He found out there that Humboldt is a German community, and as his wife, Illana, speaks German, it seemed like a good place."Everything just said, Humboldt is the place," he said. Davids has been practising out of the Humboldt clinic and in Watson for over a month now. "It's been really nice. We are kind of overwhelmed by people's friendliness," he said. "Compared with what we are used to."The convenience of living in a small city, where everything is nearby, has also been appealing to himself and his family, which includes a three-year-old son and a one-year-old daughter. He really likes life here, he said, and prefers it to life in large centres. For one, he gets to spend more time with his kids - there's no commute to work, and he can afford to take time off to just be with his family, something that was not possible in his home country.Practising medicine in general is different in Canada than it is in South Africa, he noted. "Patients here are more interactive. They give their opinions," he smiled. And then there's the friendliness of the people. Canadian patients "greet you and smile. That's also a bit different," he said. Like most South African doctors who come to Canada, Davids is here with a plan to stay three to five years, before they make their decision as a family as to what to do next. These three doctors do see patients outside of Humboldt. Dr. Moola works at the Watson clinic every Wednesday, Dr. Moosa will be in Bruno on Tuesday afternoons, and Dr. Davids will be in the Watson clinic on Fridays.
