Local support gave Dr. Magdi Hassanin the tools he needed to practice in Sault Ste. Marie!
Having the right tools is important for any job - but in medicine, it's critical. The resources at our hospital can determine whether a physician comes to Sault Ste. Marie or not. That was the case for Cardiologist Dr. Magdi Hassanin, who depends on specific images of the heart to do his job.
Dr. Hassanin was interested in coming to Sault Ste. Marie, but needed the right tools. For him, this meant a new echocardiography unit - which takes ultrasound images of the heart. The existing units at Sault Area Hospital are aging, and don't offer the latest tests and features. Thanks to your donations, our hospital was able to buy a new machine to help bring Dr. Hassanin here in July.
Originally from Egypt, Dr. Hassanin has spent the last 4 years practicing in Toronto - at Toronto General Hospital and St. Michael's Hospital.
"I used to do procedures for patients from the Sault at St. Michael's Hospital, and I would feel bad for them. They had to travel over 700km to have procedures that should be simple. Patients shouldn't have to travel so far to get care."
With this new equipment, Dr. Hassanin has already been able to offer 3D imaging and strain imaging (often for Cancer patients). He also hopes to expand into further tests in the future that would reduce patient travel.
"When we don't have the right equipment, it makes it harder for the physician. They can't get the information they need to guide the treatment. It's hard to give the proper medication or management in the proper way. It might also mean the patient needs to go for extra testing. That means extra time, extra costs, extra exposure to radiation if there are x-rays needed. It's all unnecessary if we have the proper equipment."
The role donors play in attracting new physicians:
Every year, Sault Area Hospital Foundation budgets a small portion of donations for "Physician Recruitment". These funds go toward tools that will help attract and keep new physicians in our community. Over the past few years, your donations have bought tools for surgery, cardiology, medical imaging and more. Each of these tools has allowed us to offer a new type of procedure - like Dr. Hassanin's new imaging test. Local gifts aren't just helping to bring new physicians and specialists to Sault Ste. Marie; they're helping expand the services offered at Sault Area Hospital.
Community gifts help support Physician Recruitment to Sault Area Hospital
