PORT HAWKESBURY: A new family physician will be setting up shop in the Strait area.
On March 5, the Cape Breton South Recruiting for Health Committee issued a press release announcing that Dr. Tobechi Okeke will be starting on March 15. Okeke said he will be working as a general practitioner out of the Island Gateway Medical Clinic in Port Hawkesbury, and occasionally, as a hospitalist at the Strait-Richmond Hospital.
“I might do a bit of a hospitalist work. I will be working with Dr. Collins. I think for a while, I will be seeing some of his patients. Most of my patients are going to be from a new cohort of patients,” Okeke told The Reporter. “My role will probably involve some long-term care as well. Mostly, clinic based.”
Okeke graduated from the University of Nigeria College of Medicine in 2002, and after practicing as a family physician in Nigeria for approximately 15 years, he moved to Calgary in 2014, and spent the next three years back and forth between Africa and North America. He has a wife and four boys ranging in age from 7 to 14.
“I am an experienced family physician, and I have, besides the experience in family practice, I do have also some experience in emergency medicine,” he noted. “To say the least, I’m ecstatic. It’s been a long road to get back into practice here in Canada.”
Okeke came to the region through the Nova Scotia Practice Ready Assessment Program (NSPRAP) and he toured Port Hawkesbury and surrounding areas last March.
“I was in love with the schools, the Civic Centre, the environment,” Okeke recalled. “The people were lovely and they took us around.”
Since he took the tour last year, Okeke visited the Port Hawkesbury clinic and met with the CBSRH committee in December, and over the past few months, he has kept in touch with the group to help with a smooth transition.
“Basically, just checking up, following up with me throughout the process. And they’ve been helpful in trying to get me find a place,” he noted.
Last fall, Okeke did part of his assessment period at St. Martha’s Regional Hospital in Antigonish, serving as a hospitalist, and working with Dr. Patricia Menard.
“I’ve been around Nova Scotia, in quarantine, for sure. Then back in September, up to December, I was here for about three months-plus, when we had the assessment period,” he explained.
According to the CBSRH, the NSPRAP is an assessment program for international medical graduates who completed Family Medicine residencies outside of Canada.
“This program is key to expanding our physician resources – it ensures that international medical graduates who wish to practice family medicine in Nova Scotia obtain the required clinical skills and knowledge to administer patient-centred care,” said CBSRH co-chair Trevor Boudreau.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Okeke to the Town of Port Hawkesbury,” said Port Hawkesbury Mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton. “The community played a huge role in locating accommodations for Dr. Okeke and we are excited for him and his family to be a part of our community.”
According to the press release, Okeke is looking forward to settling in Nova Scotia and practicing in Port Hawkesbury.
“Moving to Port Hawkesbury from Alberta is akin to moving from my native Country to Canada, leaving a lot behind to start afresh and make a difference in a new environment,” he added. “I am excited to be here and to start-up my practice. I look forward to meeting new people, getting new patients, and of course, getting into the community to know how I can come out to help and make a difference here as well.”