Barrhead welcomes new family doctor

BARRHEAD – Barrhead has a different doctor.

Last week Dr. Adnan Aboudaya of the Barrhead Express Care Clinic.

Aboudaya is a family doctor who also specializes in emergency medicine. In addition to treating patients at the Express Care Clinic, he will also work in the emergency room at the Barrhead Healthcare Center.

Originally from Libya, Aboudaya attended Tripoli University, where he completed his undergraduate degree, before entering the university’s medical school, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in medicine and surgery.

He then completed his internship and specialist training at the Medical Center of the University of Tripoli.

After completing his residency in 2011, Aboudaya accepted a position in the facility’s Emergency and Family Medicine Unit, where he worked until his decision to move to Canada.

“I’ve been thinking for a while about going to Canada, the US or Europe to get more experience,” he said in a phone interview between patients.

Aboudaya said one of the reasons he chose Canada and Alberta over the other options is because he has friends, including doctors and others in the medical field, who live in northern Alberta, including Edmonton, Grande Prairie, Fairview, and Vermillion Lloydminster.

“I’m a little familiar with Canada, having made several trips back and forth to Libya,” he said, adding that at least one of the trips was in winter. “Well, I had an idea of ​​what it was like.”

Aboudaya came to Canada permanently about two weeks ago and stayed in Edmonton.

He noted that there was no shortage of doctor’s vacancies in Alberta. There are currently over 500 job openings listed on the Alberta Health Services (AHS) website, including four in Barrhead.

When asked why he chose Barrhead over some of the other options, he said after visiting some of the other potential communities he decided it suited him best.

One of the big draw cards, Aboudaya said, was Barrhead’s proximity to Edmonton and his friends.

As for his first impressions of Barrhead, he noted that he’s only been at the community for a few days, but said one of the first things that strikes you is how friendly the people are.

When not working, Aboudaya enjoys watching and playing football and participating in other outdoor activities such as hiking and fishing. He added that he is also interested in learning more about Canada’s winter sport of hockey.

“I don’t know or understand much about it yet, but I’m excited to find out why it’s so popular,” he said.

According to AHS, Aboudaya is the 11th family doctor to practice in Barrhead.