BARRHEAD – Barrhead has another doctor.
Last week, Dr. Adnan Aboudaya joined the Barrhead Express Care Clinic.
Aboudaya is a family doctor that also specializes in emergency medicine. In addition to seeing patients at the Express Care Clinic, he will also work at the Barrhead Healthcare Centre in the emergency department.
Originally from Libya, Aboudaya attended Tripoli University, completing his undergraduate studies before attending the university's School of Medicine, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery.
He then went on to complete his internship and residency at the Tripoli University Medical Center.
After completing his residency in 2011, Aboudaya took a position in the facility’s Department of Emergency and Family Medicine, where he was until deciding to come to Canada.
"I had been thinking about going to Canada, the U.S. or Europe for quite a while so I could get more experience," he said in a telephone interview in between patients.
Aboudaya said one of the reasons why he chose Canada and Alberta over the other possibilities is that he has friends, including doctors and others in the medical field who live in Northern Alberta, including Edmonton, Grande Prairie, Fairview, Vermillion and Lloydminster.
"I am a little bit familiar with Canada, having made several trips back and forth to Libya," he said, adding at least one of the trips was in the winter. "So, I had an idea what it was like."
Aboudaya came to Canada permanently about two weeks ago, staying in Edmonton.
He noted that there was no shortage of vacant doctor positions in Alberta. Presently, Alberta Health Services (AHS) has upwards of 500 vacancies listed on its website, including four in Barrhead.
When asked why he chose Barrhead over some of the other possibilities, he said after visiting a few of the other potential communities, he decided that it was the best fit for him.
One of the big drawing cards, Aboudaya said, was Barrhead's proximity to Edmonton and his friends.
As for his initial impressions of Barrhead, he noted that he had only been in the community a few days but said one of the first things that sticks out is how friendly the people are.
When Aboudaya is not working, he likes to watch and play soccer and take part in other outdoor activities such as hiking and fishing. He added he is also interested in learning more about Canada's winter sport, hockey.
"I don't know a lot about it or understand it yet, but I am looking forward to finding out why it is so popular," he said.
According to AHS, Aboudaya is the 11th family doctor practicing in Barrhead.
