County announces new doctor in town
By Cecilia Nasmith
Northumberland County's Primary Care Recruitment Initiative announces its first success, welcoming family physician Dr. Roshion Sabeeha Ishaque to the community.
With more than 8,000 Northumberland residents estimated to be without a family doctor – a number that is expected to grow rapidly – the county launched this initiative last fall to align local efforts and ensure Northumberland can be recognized as a place where physicians want to practice and where families can count on reliable access to primary care.
Dr. Ishaque has established her practice at the Cobourg Clinic (part of the Northumberland Family Health Team) as of March 25. Her arrival will help address a critical service gap created by the retirement of several local physicians over the past few years. She will be building hr roster from local patients registered with the provincial Health Care Connect list, with her office contacting people directly from the list.
Dr. Ishaque completed her medical training at the University of Toronto, where she developed a strong interest in family medicine and continuity of care. Originally from Toronto, she is drawn to Cobourg and the Northumberland community for its small-town pace and welcoming atmosphere (which also align well with her interests outside of medicine – painting, reading, going for walks). She looks forward to building meaningful long-term relationships with local patients and families.
Warden Bob Crate extended a warm welcome on behalf of county council, declaring her recruitment “an important step forward in strengthening access to primary care in Northumberland.
“Dr. Ishaque joining our community means more residents will have access to the care they need, close to home.
“We look forward to continued progress through this co-ordinated county-wide approach to primary-care recruitment, including strong collaboration with organizations like the Ontario Health Team of Northumberland and other health-sector partners to help build a more connected, sustainable local health-care system for residents.”
In September, the county announced the hiring of Physician Recruitment Specialist Paula Mason and the launch of the Primary Care Recruitment Advisory Committee as part of a two-year pilot project to centralize primary-care recruitment efforts for the entire county. Momentum has since been steadily building, with connections established to provincial programs, recruitment fairs and new partnerships. For example, the committee and area partners participated in Rural Medicine Week in January, an annual event for first-year medical students run by the Rural Ontario Medical Program. A group of medical students from Queen's University has since visited the county, touring both hospitals, shadowing primary-care practices, and learning more about living and working in the community.
“We are so pleased that Dr. Ishaque has chosen to contribute her broad clinical experience and patient-centred approach to the Northumberland community,” Mason said in the announcement.
“With more than 20 physicians currently exploring Northumberland as a potential location for their future practice – including new graduates and experienced physicians considering relocation – we look forward to further expanding access to primary care for Northumberland residents as this important work moves forward.”
As the work of this new initiative continues, residents currently without a family doctor are encouraged to register with Health Care Connect, a provincial program that helps connect individuals to available primary-care providers. Registration can be completed on-line at ontario.ca/page/find-family-doctor-or-nurse-practitioner or by phone at 1-800-445-1822. Patients on this list will be prioritized as new physicians establish their practices locally.