PORT HOOD - The arrival of a new family doctor in Port Hawkesbury and the potential for one of two recent locum placements from Ontario to return to the Strait area is bringing a smile to the face of the woman hired to lead local physician-recruitment efforts last summer. 

Maggie MacDonald, the Healthcare Recruitment Navigator for the Cape Breton South: Recruiting For Health (CBS: RHF) committee, confirmed that Dr. Tobechi Okeke has officially started his work at Port Hawkesbury's Island Gateway Medical Clinic. Originally from Nigeria and with seven years of work in Calgary under his belt, Dr. Okeke began working alongside on of the clinic's two veteran physicians, Dr. James Collins, on March 15. 

Speaking to TELILE 24/7 host-producer Adam Cooke from her home office in Port Hood, MacDonald confirmed that Dr. Okeke, who is married with four young children, was won over by a site visit to Port Hawkesbury that the CBS: RFH group hosted in early 2020 for six medical-school graduates from around the world. She noted that Dr. Okeke was impressed by the town's school system, recreational facilities, and the general atmosphere for a young family.

During the interview, MacDonald also confirmed a second level of success with a recent visit by two locum doctors to Ontario, who worked at the Strait-Richmond Hospital in Evanston, St. Martha's Regional Hospital in Antigonish, and several smaller health-care facilities across the region. MacDonald revealed that one of these two physicians is likely to return to the Strait area later this spring, with the potential for a permanent placement in the area.

While this news comes as the Arichat Medical Clinic deals with the departure of Dr. Steven DesRoches after a nine-year stay, MacDonald pointed out that the father-and-son team of Dr. Laurie MacNeil and Dr. Scott MacNeil are working together to ensure that patients receive their proper care and that a new position - either a general physician or a nurse practitioner - can come to the Arichat centre in the near future.