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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday January 5, 2008 - 3 The doctor delivers -- pizzas Andrew Salik has been unable to overcome the many obstacles that prevent him from practising medicine since immigrating to Canada in 2005 By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF O akville resident Andrew Salik has 15 years experience running a private clinic as a family physician and he has done extensive work in diabetic consulting in which he monitored the prescriptions, diet and exercise of diabetic patients. Salik even taught anatomy classes at a medical school for six years. So, with Ontario in the grip of a doctor shortage, why is Salik forced to deliver pizzas to make a living? The reason is because all of this extensive experience took place in Pakistan. Salik has been condemned to exile from his chosen field of medicine since 2005 when he immigrated to Canada. Before that, Salik said he had a thriving practice at the Maryam Clinic in Pakistan, as well as his own pharmacy. "I was always interested in medicine," he said. "I liked being with the patients and helping them out. I felt I was serving the Lord as well as the people through my profession." Why did Salik sacrifice all this for a life of menial labour in Canada? It wasn't by choice, he said. "I have four children; we are Christian and there is no future for Christians in Pakistan," said Salik. "They're burning churches. They're burning hospitals and killing Christians. You don't always hear about it on the news, but everyday lives are threatened and people die." In 1998, Salik began the immigration process to Canada, which would drag out for seven long years. This would eventually bankrupt him, said Salik, due to the outrageous fees he was charged by immigration "I have all the text books at home, but every time I open one and start to read it something comes up. The hydro bill will be due next week, that's $200. How am I going to pay that?" Andrew Salik DAVID LEA / OAKVILLE BEAVER lawyers in Pakistan. Salik said he understood that he would not be able to immediately practise medicine in Canada, but again noted his options at the time were few. "It wasn't a matter of choice. It was like which immigration was open," he said. "I also tried for America, but the immigration was not open and the process was very lengthy." In the end, after 15 years of running a private clinic in Pakistan, Salik landed in Canada with a total of $4,300 to look after his wife and four children. Salik's way back to practicing medicine is barred by the Medical Council of Canada Evaluating Examination, a test that focuses on basic medical knowledge of the principal fields of medicine as well as some basic medical sciences as applied to clinical sciences. Last year 3,671 candidates took the MCCEE, according to the Medical Council of Canada, with a pass rate of 65 per cent. Other qualifying exams would follow and while Salik understands the purpose of these exams and is willing to take them, he says he simply does not have the time or money to prepare for them. "Who is going to feed my family while I take time off work to study," said Salik. "I have all the text books at home, but every time I open one and start to read it something comes up. The hydro bill will be due next week, that's $200. How am I going to pay that?" Anne Marie Crescenzi of the Centre for the Evaluation of Health Professionals Educated Abroad confirmed that there is no government funding available to provide MCCEE applicants with study time. She noted that the exam can be a hard nut to crack for individuals who have been out of medical school for a number of years. "If they have been in practice as a specialist, such as an obstetrician for example, for 20 years this exam will not come easily to them," said Crescenzi. "Then the qualifying examination is specific to Canadian health care." And so Salik put his return to medicine on hold getting a job in a factory and later becoming an attendant at a Petro Canada station. While working this job, Salik slipped and injured his back. It was during his recuperation process that Ontario's doctor shortage became obvious to him. "WSIB (Workplace Safety Insurance Board) started paying me for two months and then they stopped," said Salik. "They stopped paying me because my doctor is overworked, too. He was filling out the WSIB form and he wrote `no' in the section where it asked, `does the patient have any disability where he can't go to work now.' He wrote no. Later he checked it again, realized his mistake and I wrote that I couldn't work, but they wouldn't accept it." Salik went to his bank for help. "I went to the bank, which has been my bank for two years, and I said that I needed a $15,000 loan so that I could sit for five months and study," said Salik. "The bank said, `No, you don't have any assets, you don't have a line of credit." Attempts to teach medicine, as he did in Pakistan for six years, also met with defeat, as did efforts to get the Ontario Student Assistance Program to supply aid as the medical exams Salik wants to take do not fall under its jurisdiction. A glimmer of hope briefly appeared when See Setbacks page 4 PREPARE FOR THE ROAD AHEAD. Next course: January 12, 13, 19, 20 - 2 weekends - 9:30am - 4:15pm January 31, February 1, 2, 3 - 4 Days (Semester Break) - 9:30am - 4:15 pm www.youngdrivers.com 905.845.7200 MTO APPROVED BEGINNER DRIVER EDUCATION COURSE PROVIDER