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New family physician coming to Athabasca

Athabasca will be seeing a new doctor joining the ranks within the next couple of months. Dr. Leon Burger, a physician in Athabasca, said in a written response that Dr. Rohan Rossouw and his wife Gabby will move to Athabasca by the end of December.

Athabasca will be seeing a new doctor joining the ranks within the next couple of months.

Dr. Leon Burger, a physician in Athabasca, said in a written response that Dr. Rohan Rossouw and his wife Gabby will move to Athabasca by the end of December.

“He has been practicing as a general practitioner in Fairview for the past two years, following a short stint (for purposes of orientation and accreditation with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta) here in Athabasca prior to that,” Burger wrote.

Rossouw graduated from the University of Pretoria in South Africa at the same time as Dr. Colette Mackenzie, who came to town four years ago.

“He has since provided several weekend on call duties at the Athabasca Healthcare Centre, and is well versed and familiar with the town and community,” Burger wrote. “We hope to be welcoming him around Christmas time.”

Burger did not respond to a request with follow-up questions. Mabel Dick, Athabasca’s physician recruitment and retention committee chair, referred questions to Burger.

Roussouw said in an interview when he did his initial assessment in Athabasca two years ago he “fell in love with the town.”

“(I) enjoyed the people and it was always my plan to come back at some point,” he said. “I wasn’t quite sure when, but it all worked out pretty well.”

Roussouw said he would either be based out of the Family Health Centre, where Burger practices, or across the street at the Aspen Primary Care Network.

He added he has a background in family medicine, minor surgical procedures, geriatric care, patient care and trauma.

“I’m obviously very excited about moving back. It’s a community that I can see myself based in for the long term,” Roussouw said. “I don’t really think I will want to move anytime soon if at all, from Athabasca, and would like to serve the community in terms of ongoing good medical care.”

“Obviously, got a bit of a medical shortage in terms of doctors, there’s a lack of doctors there at the moment so hoping to fill that gap adequately and provide the healthcare that people need,” he added.

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