KAMSACK — Born and raised in Nigeria, Dr. Kayode Bamigbola, who is on his way to becoming a Canadian citizen, joined the staff of the Assiniboine Valley Medical Centre in Kamsack on July 25.
He joins Dr. Adebisi Alayo and Dr. Nadar Fereydonyan who have been working in Kamsack, and Dr. Elmira Amirazodi, who has also recently arrived in the community.
Bamigbola arrived in Kamsack from Oakville, Ont., where he had been working as a disability care manager for a private firm in Burlington, Ont., while waiting for his SIPPA (Saskatchewan International Physician Practice Assessment) certification.
Still in Oakville are his wife, Funmi, also a physician, who is beginning her process of obtaining her medical certification, and their three children, a daughter, Teni who will be 11 in October, and two sons, Temi, who will be nine in October, and Tamilore (Tam Tam), 3.
“We decided that I would pursue my certification first, and then Funmi would work towards hers,” he said.
His family, who plan to visit Kamsack at the end of August, will eventually be joining him in the community, but when is still uncertain and depends on, among other things, his wife’s certification.
“It took me three years to obtain the certification, Bamigbola said, explaining that the process includes taking many examinations, assessment of previous work and an in-person assessment.
Kamsack is Bamigbola’s first practice in Canada after having received certification.
Born and raised near Ilorin, in southwest Nigeria, Bamigbola graduated from the University of Ilorin’s College of Health Services with a bachelor of medicine and surgery in 2005, and then he obtained a residency in general practice and pediatric surgery in Ilorin, where he worked in private hospitals.
In 2006 and 2007, he was involved in a compulsory one-year posting as a general practitioner in Bauchi, a rural and remote community in northern Nigeria. He was married in 2010, and in 2013 he was working in a general practice and pediatric surgery in Owo, a rural hospital. He has also worked briefly in Ghana and India.
A permanent resident of Canada, Bamigbola has applied for his citizenship and said he has wanted a general practice in a rural environment, having been raised in Okene, a rural village in Nigeria, and spent his first 15 years living in a rural community.
Asked how a doctor can work in a community, like Kamsack, where the hospital is not fully functional, Bamigbola said that there is still much for a doctor to do. A clinic is the place for primary care, where patients are encouraged to live healthy lifestyles so that a hospital is not needed, he said.
“I’m getting to know my patients,” he said, adding that he looks forward to helping them lead healthy lives.
When not working, Bamigbola said he enjoys football (soccer), both watching and playing, and likes playing tennis. He said he is fond of hiking and has enjoyed his visits to Madge Lake.
“I look forward to cross-country skiing and maybe some fishing,” he said, admitting that one of his biggest loves is music. He sings, plays guitar and has played keyboards.
“Music gives me the greatest joy,” he said, explaining that he has sung with choirs, mostly gospel, but enjoys a wide selection of music.
