A match made in Melfort
Born, raised, and educated in Saskatchewan, Dr. Evan Mah is now one of Melfort’s newest physicians.
Dr. Mah opened his family medicine practice in Melfort in October 2023, and is one of the new physicians hired by the Government of Saskatchewan to practice in this province over the past year, and who have chosen to practice in rural parts of the province.
Mah, who grew up in Regina, brings a wealth of family medicine training to the community on top of an additional year of residency through the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) Enhanced Surgical Skills (ESS) program in Prince Albert. The ESS provides more training for general practitioners in things like surgery and obstetrics, so that they can provide emergency treatments such as Caesarian sections, appendectomies and abscess removals, along with tests like endoscopies and colonoscopies.
“My ability to provide these types of procedures in Melfort means patients can deliver their babies closer to home, family and support systems,” Dr. Mah explains. “This increases access for patients, so receiving health care is less of a burden on their day-to-day life.”
After a taste of rural medicine during medical school, Mah’s career path was clear to him. He took advantage of additional College of Medicine programs to prepare himself for life as a rural physician, such as the Saskatchewan Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (SLIC) in Meadow Lake. Working alongside dedicated rural physicians in clinic, hospital, and community settings gave Dr. Mah a fantastic educational foundation and inspired him to continue.
“Overall, practicing in a rural community is very rewarding. Rural physicians have an enormous impact on their communities and the wide scope of practice is also appealing to me,” Dr. Mah said. “With every week looking different, I am always on my toes.”
Dr. Mah considered practicing outside of the province – and was made some offers – before ultimately putting down roots in Melfort. Draws to the community included the proximity to his family in Regina and the mentorship from experienced physicians in Melfort. Further incentives though the Government of Saskatchewan’s Rural Physician Incentive Program (RPIP), and a financial bonus offered by the City of Melfort to physicians who practice within the community for at least two years, all added up to the community’s successful recruitment.
“It is exciting to see a skilled physician like Dr. Evan Mah chose to serve his province and practice in a rural community like Melfort. The value of having a network of healthcare practitioners to support new physicians within rural and remote communities cannot be overstated,” said Dr. Jordan Wingate, SHA Deputy Medical Officer and former Melfort family medicine physician. “The citizens of Melfort are overjoyed to have him there.”
“Melfort’s size was appealing and the services and practitioners within the community matched more of the style of practice I was hoping to have,” said Dr. Mah. “Really, it is all about being able to use your years of training and education to help your patients. Being able to do that in a community that you get to live in and support, both personally and professionally, makes it even more rewarding.”
