By Vancouver Sun |
Had Dr. Mehdi Shahsavan stayed in British Columbia, he would be sitting on the sidelines of the COVID-19 epidemic like thousands of foreign-trained doctors, writing letters and signing petitions begging for a chance to work.
Instead, the Iranian-trained general practitioner and emergency room specialist is on the front lines in the Prairie town of Assiniboia (pop. 2,389).
Shahsavan arrived there in September along with another Iranian-trained doctor. They were greeted by the mayor and feted at a come-and-go tea at the Town Hall after having successfully passed the Saskatchewan College of Physicians and Surgeons’ practice-ready assessment program.
Even in that small town, the clinic where they work has already had a COVID case, a reminder of how pervasive the virus’s spread is that. Fortunately, the patient has fully recovered and there were doctors available.
Other patients may not be so lucky.