By Keith McNeill
The Times
Clearwater will soon have a new doctor and he comes highly recommended.
“Carmen (Langdon) at Lillooet Pharmasave seriously raved about him. The community there was very happy with him,” reported Michelle Leins, owner of Clearwater Pharmasave.
Dr. Alaa Baleed worked for three months in Lillooet doing a practicum to qualify to practice medicine in B.C.
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Originally from Libya, he and his wife Waad arrived in Clearwater a little over a week ago – about the same time as the heaviest snowfall of the winter.
“We arrived just in time for the snow,” he laughed. “We were pretty well trapped in our home for two days.”
Despite the wintry introduction, he is impressed with Clearwater and area.
“It is a pretty community,” he said. “The people are friendly and well-educated. We’ve had many offers of help from community members plus the staff at the hospital and the clinic.”
The new physician said that Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital is well set up to serve the entire area. He felt the clinic also serves an important role.
“We don’t feel this is a remote area. There are many things to do here plus the highway gives easy access to Kamloops and Vancouver,” he said.
His interests include hiking, biking, soccer and swimming. He would like to try winter sports such as skiing and snowshoeing.
“I look forward to serving this community,” Dr. Baleed said. “I feel like this is home.”
The new physician is scheduled to start work on Wednesday, Feb. 21.
READ MORE: Two new doctors coming to Clearwater (Aug. 27, 2017)
His presence will bring the number of full-time, permanent medical doctors servicing Clearwater to four. He will join longtime local physician John Soles, plus Kayode Bamigboje (Dr. Kay) and Gangadevi Lokuwattage (Dr. Ganga), who both started working in Clearwater late last summer.
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