Another new physician has started to practice in Estevan.
Dr. Jimi Akinsete, a family physician, is open for business in Estevan, and is accepting new clients. He is capable of seeing patients of all kinds. His office is located at the Estevan Medical Clinic, which is across Nicholson Road from St. Joseph's Hospital.
Akinsete's arrival in Estevan was celebrated on May 18.
The efforts of the Estevan Health Committee and the assistance of the Sun Country Health Region brought Akinsete to Estevan. The process took about nine months.
First, a physician's files and records have to be a approved on a provincial level. Then they have to go through three to six months of immigration processing. Finally, they are ready to enter Saskatchewan's International Physician Assessment Program (SIPAP), which takes about three months. Akinsete was fortunate enough to finish almost a month early.
Akinsete has a master's degree in family medicine and 22 years of experience. He spent 15 years in South Africa, five in Nigeria and two-and-a-half in the U.K. He also has qualifications in emergency medicine, served as an instructor for many years in advanced trauma life support in South Africa, and worked as a clinical fellow in the U.K. in accident and emergency departments.
By the end of June, he hopes to be joined in Estevan by his wife, Toyin, and five children: three daughters between the ages of 11 and 16, and two seven-year-old twin sons.
Akinsete's arrival brings the total number of physicians in Estevan to 11. Bridget Bittman with the Estevan Health Committee said it is a challenge to recruit and retain physicians. She encourages those who don't have a family physician to find one, since four new physicians have arrived in the city in the last couple of months.
