Chatham-Kent has a new urologist.
The hospital announced the addition of Dr. Hamidreza Abdi on Tuesday. Dr. Abdi recently completed his training at the University of Ottawa and will begin practicing in the hospital's new service soon.
"Dr. Abdi is an excellent addition to CKHA's roster and will assist us in meeting the needs of our community; reducing the need for patients to travel outside of Chatham-Kent for urological services," said Dr. Pervez Faruqi, the chief of staff at the hospital. "We are thankful for the support we received from the Urologists at Bluewater Health who have provided high-quality care to our patients over the years and look forward to continuing our partnership with them."
Dr. Abdi said he's excited to start a new journey.
"When my family and I came to Chatham last year for a site visit and interview, it just took a couple of hours to convince ourselves that this would be the place to be for living and practicing medicine," said Dr. Abdi. "We were amazed by the hospitality and kindness of the people in Chatham-Kent and the hospital staff."
During consultations with the community, a gap was identified for Urology services in Chatham-Kent and the CKHA committed to filling this service gap through its latest Strategic Plan. Construction has begun to accommodate Urology and other surgical procedures in a new state-of-the-art operating room area that should be complete by October 2020. CKHA said ambulatory Urology clinics will also be held at both of CKHA's sites once Dr. Abdi's practice is established.
"We are thrilled Dr. Abdi has chosen to practice at CKHA and provide comprehensive Urology services for our patients and families," said Lori Marshall, President and CEO of CKHA. "His medical expertise and compassionate approach to care coupled with our renovated operating room and updated equipment will ensure access to a variety of urological services for our community."
Dr. Abdi added his wife is going to start her training in Family Medicine in London, and she would also love to practice in Chatham in two years.
According to a release from the hospital, one of Dr. Abdi's passions is improving men's health.
He said men die on average five to six years earlier than women, and for reasons that are largely preventable. Abdi added Canadian men aren't as healthy as they thought and it's a result of habits and lifestyle. Statistics around men's health in Canada show that men are 40 per cent more likely to die from cancer in general, 70 per cent more likely to die from heart-related disease and live an average of almost nine years of their lives in extremely poor health.
The CKHA said a team of dedicated staff and physicians, led by Dr. Elizabeth Haddad, have been instrumental in launching the new Urology services at CKHA and Dr. Abdi will be a welcome addition to the team.
"I'd like to thank Dr. Haddad and her team for their hard work and dedication in ensuring high-quality Urology services for our community," added Faruqi.
Patients who require a referral for Urology services should speak to their Primary Care Provider. For inquiries about CKHA's Urology program, Dr. Abdi's office can be reached at 519.352.6401 extension 5770.