There is a new doctor in town and he is accepting patients.
Originally from Cape Town, South Africa, Doctor Craig Gradwell moved to Barrhead in November 2015, and said he has been working for approximately two months.
“I was offered jobs in Fairview, Peace River and High Prairie, but they did not fit with what my fiancé and I were looking for,” Gradwell said, adding that big-city life is not for him. “We took a tour of the area in September 2015, but none of those places were for us. We want town life, not city life, and that’s one of the reasons why we chose Barrhead.”
As a generalist focused on family practice, Gradwell said his profession is one a person either loves or hates.
“If medicine isn’t for you, you wouldn’t stay in it. The long hours and the rest of it can be daunting, it can be stressful, but I love it. I love helping people. I like being one of those people, as a generalist, who can help people not only with medical problems, but with psychological and social problems too.”
“In South Africa, you don’t have the same opportunities to practice medicine like you do in Canada,” he said. “We have public and private services, and public is chaotic. It is extremely busy. You’re like a workhorse. In private service, you’re fighting with medical aides all day, and if I was doing that, I’d be stuck sitting in a clinic all day, and that isn’t me.”
People are not just slabs of meat, Gradwell said, explaining that in Cape Town while working in the public services, it was often perceived that way, adding that seeing progress in his patients and developing personal relationships with them are reasons why Gradwell does what he does.
Gradwell said for him, the choice of which country to emigrate to, between Canada, England and Australia, was not really difficult. “Canada looked the best to us – nice people, safe communities, good pay, et cetera,” he said, adding that those were not the main reasons why Alberta ultimately got itself a new doctor instead of another province.
“The type of work that I wanted to do as a doctor – the clinic and emergency room stuff – in Alberta, this is the best place for me. The government has taken over recruiting for doctors coming into the country and they’re recruiting for smaller towns, not the big cities like Edmonton and Calgary. It worked out perfectly.”
Gradwell said he had never seen Barrhead before he got the call for his interview.
“I did some research online afterwards, and I thought it was a lovely place,” he said, adding it was a blind leap to come across the world.
“Out of all the places I have seen, Barrhead ended up being the best choice and I’m glad we didn’t take any of the other offers,” Gradwell added.
Gradwell is currently accepting new patients.
“I have lots of openings during the day, so people can literally just walk in,” he said. “It is pretty easy to come see me.”
Anyone interested or requiring a new doctor is urged to visit the Barrhead Medical Centre, located at 5021 51 street, or to call (780) 674-2246 to make an appointment.
Office hours are Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and they are closed on the weekends.
