One of the biggest challenges the Valley continues to face is a shortage of family physicians, and Pembroke is certainly included in that equation.
Dr. Helia Ghanean hails from Iran, and she and her husband have been doing what they can to help bridge that serious gap since arriving in Pembroke in August 2024. From the time they arrived, they knew they were in the right place:
Dr. Ghanean noted that adjusting to the Pembroke medical system was a challenge, and that housing and schooling also had to be arranged. She said both were provided readily for her family, helping them feel even more at home.
She and her husband have been attached to the Champlain Family Health Team in Pembroke since their arrival. Since beginning their practice, she says more than 2,000 patients have been provided with primary health care, with more expected to join the ever-growing list. It’s the connection to the community that matters most to Helia — both as a physician and as a Valley resident:
One of the major challenges foreign-trained doctors face when arriving in Canada is that medical credentials earned in their home countries rarely allow them to begin practising immediately. That was no exception for Dr. Ghanean and her husband.
Closing doors, as Ghanean puts it, began to open when they discovered the Touchstone Practice Ready Ontario Program which helped to fast track their progress towards becoming fully licensed to practice in Ontario. Ghanean explains:
Practice Ready Ontario had pledged to add up to 100 new family physicians by the end of 2025. Successful candidates must complete a three-year return of service as a family physician in a rural high-need community. Ghanean and her husband are well on their way to completion of this goal and have said that it was an invaluable part of the success they have enjoyed in Pembroke thus far.
If you or someone you know are looking for a family doctor, please click on the link below.
https://www.ontario.ca/page/find-family-doctor-or-nurse-practitioner
If you would like further information on the Touchstone Practice Ready Ontario Program the link below has also been provided.
Practice Ready Ontario (PRO) – Touchstone Institute
(Written By: Richard Evans)