It may not plug much of the gap in the ongoing physician shortage in Parksville Qualicum Beach, but the arrival of a new doctor this week should at least provide a chance for some people without a family physician to finally get one.
Dr. Satish Desai, who has practised family medicine in Parksville for 35 years, announced the addition of Dr. Natalia Levental to his practice, effective Sept. 1.
“She will be taking new patients; that’s the idea,” Desai said. “She’s not taking them from me.”
In May, a delegation from the Oceanside Division of Family Practice appeared before Parksville city council and announced the husband-and-wife team of doctors David and Mirke Owen this October, while also addressing the scope of the area’s physician shortage.
“The not-so-good news is, we’re recruiting to a deficit,” said Sharon Todd, co-ordinator of the ODFP’s recruitment and retention program. “These physicians are replacing one retiring physician, and one existing vacancy that’s been around for a few months.”
Related: What’s up? Docs on the way to Parksville
Levental, who’s relocated to the mid-Island with her husband Nicholas and sons Paul, 11, and Andre, 6, recently completed a two-year University of British Columbia family medicine residency program run through St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, said Desai.
A Russian emigrant who arrived in Canada in 2003, Levental was part of the International Medical Program (IMP), which provides international physicians the qualifications needed to practise medicine in Canada.
Levental has joined Desai’s clinic at 156 Morison Ave. on a two-year contract, he said.
“It’s one of the best communities on the Island,” Levental said of her decision to accept a position in Parksville. “It’s a good place to be and to raise the kids.”
Desai, who also took on a physician from the IMP program in 2009, said he had put forward his clinic for consideration for a graduate again this year, and Levental was deemed a good fit.
“The province looks at areas that are short of doctors,” said Desai. “My request went in and she was a good candidate. It’s good for me and it’s good for the community.
“I think she’ll do well. She’s got a very pleasant personality; she should fit in well.”
Levental has lived in B.C. since her arrival to Canada, primarily in the Lower Mainland. But she and her family had visited Parksville and look forward to settling in and enjoying the lifestyle while she establishes her practice.
“It’s such a nice area, the beach is very nice and the population is quite welcoming,” she said.