Revamped department set to open at clinic

A newly renovated obstetrics and gynecology department at a Brandon clinic — that’s expected to open for patients next month — plans to bring its complement of doctors up to six.

The department at the Brandon Clinic Medical Corporation on Dennis Street is transitioning on June 1 from its upstairs location at station six to the main floor where Kim’s Asian Restaurant used to be.

The upgrades will help recruit OB-GYN doctors to the facility and make it easier for expectant mothers and other patients accessing reproductive health care to attend the clinic, said Dr. Benedict Nevo, who has been practising at the facility since March 2022.

“I’m loving it. I’m looking forward to it. I can’t wait,” he said.

“I’m just hoping that it will build morale for my colleagues because … we work so hard. Anything that you could add to ease tension is very much welcome.”

Nevo toured the new department on Friday afternoon alongside other doctors, nurses and health-care staff who were overjoyed to see the eight spacious exam rooms, private offices and a larger room used to store medication and sterilize medical instruments.

The department’s transition into the new space will not cause any disruptions for patients with appointments at the facility, said Darcy Bell, the clinic’s CEO.

Having the “state-of-the-art” department on the main floor reduces the need for those patients to use the elevator or staircase, which means they can have their vitals taken faster because they aren’t waiting for their blood pressure and heart rate to return to normal, Bell said.

The clinic made the decision to upgrade its OB-GYN and pediatrics departments two years ago with the plan to accommodate more doctors, he said, adding that it gave Kim’s Asian Restaurant an 18-month notice to vacate the building.

Renovations to the pediatrics department were completed in March last year, he said.

The clinic has a total of 40 physicians, which includes four working in the OB-GYN department. The clinic is in the process of recruiting a fifth OB-GYN doctor as well as another pediatrician and three doctors practising family medicine, Bell said.

“We have a big department, family practice physicians, so if someone’s sick or away, someone else can step up,” he said.

By the end of the summer, the clinic is expected to have 45 physicians in total, making the Brandon Clinic Medical Corporation the largest privately owned clinic in the province, he said.

“It’s a safe, secure, supportive environment, and it makes us attractive for candidates,” Bell said.

The OB-GYN department cost approximately $750,000 to renovate and the pediatrics department cost roughly $250,000, he said. The upgrades were paid for by about 30 doctors who share ownership of the clinic.

“We all have to use the health-care system at some point, so we’re trying to make it the best we can while working with Prairie Mountain Health and Manitoba Health,” Bell said.

The clinic provides health care to more than 80,000 patients per year, he said.

“The business is serving Brandonites and western Manitobans. We even have patients come from the east side of Saskatchewan,” Bell said,

Although recruiting doctors can be a “challenge,” the clinic works closely with Prairie Mountain Health and the University of Manitoba’s Max Rady College of Medicine satellite campus in Brandon to engage with medical students, he said.

The clinic is also involved with the Brandon Rural Community Immigration Pilot Project to recruit doctors from overseas, which has been “really helpful,” Bell said.

“All the candidates are surprised when we take them places and how friendly people are, how willing they are to help find child care, kid’s activities. Housing is always a challenge (but) Brandon really steps up in those areas, and it puts us at the top.”

Nevo earned his medical degree at the University of Benin in Nigeria and completed his OB-GYN residency at the University Hospital of North Durham in the United Kingdom.

He said he chose to practise medicine in Canada because he likes the way the medical system works. He moved to Manitoba to be closer to family and friends who live in the western and eastern provinces.

“I think Manitoba has one of the best summers and compared to the east and the west … things are kind of cheap, you know, affordable,” he said.

Nevo said the OB-GYN department at the clinic is “very busy” but he expects any wait times for patients accessing health care will decrease when new physicians are onboarded.

» tadamski@brandonsun.com