Plans to breath new life into the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance continue to take shape, as a new head of medical staff has been announced.
Dr. Pervez Faruqi assumes the role for a three-year period on January 1, 2017. He takes over from Dr. Ranjith Chandrasena, who is resigning.
Faruqi's appointment comes at a time of significant turnover in senior leadership at the hospital.
"As the chair of the Medical Advisory Committee, I will be working closely with the department chiefs in all areas of the hospital," he says. "We will be meeting for the first time early next year, and we'll come up with a plan to improve services and identify any gaps that exist at this time."
Faruqi practiced medicine in Nova Scotia and in the U.S., before joining the CKHA as chief of pediatrics in 2013.
His first order of business will be to assess the hospital's varied medical practices.
"What sometimes happens at community hospitals is that physicians start practices based on their experiences," says Faruqi. "So in my role as chief of staff, I'm hoping to align medical practices with standard or well-established medical guidelines."
He says it's not that they don't exist already at the hospital - it's just about bringing them up to par with those across the province.
Over the course of his three-year tenure, Faruqi says the CKHA will move away from its minimum obligations, and revive patient care.
"We'll try to extend our services beyond medical care, to improve individual's experience, and not just for the patients," he says. "For example, if a mother comes to the hospital to deliver her baby... we'd also like to create an ideal experience for the family members."