The pressure on the local community of physicians eased up just a bit these past few days with the arrival of two new doctors.
Drs. Andrey Babkis and Sunday Olowu are now practising at the Estevan Medical Clinic and according to the two of them, both are getting to feel more and more comfortable in the community every day.
"More snow though, than I've ever seen before," said Olowu, looking out the window at the clinic near the end of a busy working day.
The Nigerian-born physician arrived in Estevan in November and now has his wife and three children (two girls and a boy, all elementary school aged students attending Westview School), joining him as they establish a residence with the assistance of the local recruitment and retention committee.
After gaining his primary medical degree in 1994 in his homeland, Olowu moved to South Africa 14 years ago and completed his post graduate studies and specialized in family medicine for which he received a post graduate degree in 2006.
Babkis, is the newest member of the local medical community, having just started work at the clinic on Dec. 1.
Born in Russia, he said his father came from a foster home so he wasn't aware of his background for years until the family learned that his father had come from a Jewish family that had been killed by the Fascists leading up the Second World War. His grandfather had also been a doctor, he learned, and he found his sister through the Red Cross.
"I also have a cousin who is a doctor, so there are physician genes there," Babkis said with a smile.
"So I've discovered I'm half Jewish," he added.
Babkis graduated from a Russian medical school in 1993 and then studied Oriental medicines and yoga in India for three years before heading to South Africa for eight years, mainly practising in Ladysmith while Olowu spent most of his South African time in Pretoria.
Both men said they made contact with recruiting agents through online contacts and arriving in Estevan was done through a gradual process.
"I started thinking about Canada after the recruiter informed me that a lot of South African doctors had come to this country," Babkis said.
Both men said there are no particularly difficult challenges to overcome comparing their work in other countries as opposed to Canada. There are a few trade name references for pharmaceuticals or equipment they have to acquaint themselves with, but for the most part, it's the same.
"I wasn't used to the snow, but the houses here are well built and warm no problem," said Olowu. "The people here are very helpful. There is a wonderful team here at the clinic."
Those sentiments were echoed by Babkis who was delighted to learn from the clinic's senior partner, Dr. Vino Padayachee, that he was going to get the use of a vehicle that same day (Dec. 3) as soon as he received the proper driver's licence.
"Now I'll be able to get around a little better," he said with grin.
Both men had already experienced a rotation in the emergency room, or in Olowu's case, a few rotations, with no major pitfalls. In fact they find the local emergency scenario rather pedestrian in some respects.
They said in South Africa the emergency rooms are usually populated by more trauma and infectious disease victims.
Olowu noted he had even become accustomed to rather stressful occurrences. He said that one five different occasions he was required to work an emergency situation "at gunpoint."
So in most cases, we were cleaning up a lot of blood," said Olowu.
"Lots of sutures," added Babkis with a smile, recounting his own experiences in other emergency rooms.
"So emergency room work here is just a different spectrum," said Olowu who has just one medical licensing examination to wade through now before gaining full certification in Saskatchewan.
Babkis, who will have to complete two medical exams before gaining full certification, said his interests in the past have also led to orthopedic departments, obstetrics and a rotation or two in psychiatric units, so he's used to dealing with patients who might be combating anxiety or depression. Unlike Olowu, he said he's used to snow.
"Russia or Canada, you'll have lots of snow, either place," he said.
In welcoming the new recruits to the practice, Padayachee said the two will complete their three-month group practice in Estevan and it is expected that they will remain in the community to set up a long-term relationship with the city and the surrounding area and he trusted the residents would welcome them warmly.
So bring on the sutures.
