The Red Coat Primary Health Care Clinic in Assiniboia will be welcoming two new doctors this fall. 

Dr. Mehdi Shahsavan and Dr. Mehdi Teimoori are scheduled to begin at the clinic on Sept. 9. 

Cara McDavid, Director of Primary Health (Southwest) for Saskatchewan Health Authority said the new doctors will be replacing current staff. 

"The two physicians coming to Assiniboia will be replacing the two physicians that completed their contracts with us in the spring."

McDavid said interruptions to patient care were mitigated over the summer by keeping one of the old doctors on.   

"We were able to keep one of the physicians on over the summer. The patients in Assiniboia didn't experience increased wait times or a disruption in services over that time."

McDavid also said that recruiting new doctors to remote and rural areas in Saskatchewan does often present a challenge. 

"It has been challenging to recruit to some rural areas, and there is certainly an awareness of that, so we're thankful that we were able to ensure that the level of service that's been historically provided to Assiniboia has been able to be maintained."

Both new doctors are originally from Iran. 

Dr. Shahsavan has over 15 years experience practicing medicine in outpatient clinics, hospitals, and emergency departments. Since 2015, Dr. Shahsavan has been undergoing International Medical Graduate training in British Columbia. 

Dr. Teimoori has over 20 years of experience and received his medical degree at the Iran University of Medical Sciences. He has been expanding his knowledge of the Canadian medical system in Montreal since 2018.

Both doctors will be working out of the primary health care site and provide on-call coverage to the community hospital. 

McDavid said patients can expect health services to remain as expected through the transition. 

"It's ensuring that there's continued access to care, that people have services close to home as possible and that Assiniboia and the surrounding community don't have a disruption in service, we were able to manage that."

To book an appointment please call the Red Coat Primary Health Clinic at 306-642-4454.