Fort St. John welcomes four new doctors

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Four new physicians are joining Fort St. John’s medical community.

The North Peace Division of Family Practice, the Fort St. John Medical Staff Association, Northern Health and the City of Fort St. John announced the arrival of Dr. Raian Alqazazi, Dr. Laura Corredor Mesa, Dr. Celia Wang and Dr. Sairvan Fernandes in a press release on Monday, September 15th.

Dr. Alqazazi, a family physician from Iraq, trained at the University of Baghdad and practiced in Manchester, England before moving to Canada. He is based at ABC Medical Clinic, although he is currently not accepting new patients.

Dr. Corredor Mesa, an internist originally from Bogotá, Colombia, completed her training at the University of British Columbia (UBC) this year. She has a special interest in endocrinology, the study of hormones, and said her elective in Fort St. John left a lasting impression.

“When I came to Fort St. John for an elective, it gave me that sense of community and the opportunity to make an impact on the health of the people in the Peace River region,” she said. “I enjoy the breadth of internal medicine and Fort St. John was the place that aligns best.”

Dr. Wang also chose to stay in Fort St. John after completing her UBC family residency there in June. Taking over Dr. Lida Hellqvist’s practice at ABC Medical Clinic, she said she looks forward to continuing her career in the city she has grown to love.

“I love Fort St. John’s friendly, easy-going and tight-knit community,” Dr. Wang said. “Doing residency here has been a blast and I can’t wait to continue to contribute to the community.”

Like Dr. Alqazazi, she is currently not accepting new patients.

Meanwhile, Dr. Fernandes has joined Fort St. John Hospital as both an anesthesiologist and in the emergency department. A UBC graduate, he and his wife Gabrielle recently relocated to the region.

“I am excited to continue to serve the people of the north and be part of these unique and resilient communities,” he said.

This comes as the Peace region experiences physician shortages, which has sometimes resulted in hospitals diverting their emergency services.

Fort St. John Mayor Lilia Hansen welcomed the new medical staff in a Facebook post, saying: “We’re thrilled to have them bring their expertise, compassion and care to Fort St. John. Let’s show them how welcoming our community can be.”

According to Ryan Harvey, the city’s communications manager, Dr. Alqazazi started work in the city in spring, while the other doctors are set to start this month.