Dr. Philip Fong, the current Chief of Staff for the South Central Health District (SCHD) will leave his family practice, although not completely, to focus on his new duties as resident physician for the health district.

His new duties will include overseeing medical services for the Souris Valley Extended Care Centre, and is in transition to oversee the medical services at the Weyburn Special Care Home.

Dr. Fong first arrived at Weyburn at the end of February in 1966. At that time, he had practiced as a government physician for four years at Mauritius (near Madagascar) and had spent two years in London, England in residency in surgery. He has found his work in Weyburn to be exceptionally rewarding.

"The fact that I have been here for 34 years speaks for itself, as well as the fact that my son and daughter-in-law and myself practice together. This all speaks well for the community, especially that Allan and Kathleen came back. I've enjoyed (regular practice) and I am proud and honoured to have been of service to the community," said Fong.

"I am grateful for the people we have served and for the good relationships that I've had with other related professionals. I am grateful that we support each other. I have been fortunate to have a very devoted staff that has been with me for years and years," he said.

Dr. Fong considers his position as district Chief of Staff and the fact that Allan and Kathleen have chosen to practice medicine here to be his happiest accomplishments to date. He will remain associated with the family clinic in some capacities, but not on a regular basis. He has and continues to serve in a number of capacities on various committees.

The SCHD was well-acquainted with Dr. Fong's work when they selected him as the successful candidate for the new position as resident physician.

"We're very pleased about this," said Marga Cugnet, vice-president of Patient Services. "When Dr. Abao retired at the end of December, we decided to find a resident physician to provide services for both facilities. We advertised and Dr. Fong was chosen. We did discuss the decision to have a resident physician with Weyburn area physicians and received general approval for moving ahead in this direction."

The SCHD will be in contact and consultation with the residents of both facilities, their families, and staff over the next month regarding the fact that the two special care homes now have a resident physician.