The Kinmount District Health Services Foundation (KDHSF) has announced Dr. Lesslie Ponraja will be joining the healthcare team at the Kinmount and District Health Centre (KDHC).
Susan Forrester of the communication committee said Dr. Ponraja is from England, where he has practised medicine for 20 years, 15 as a family doctor, and five in a hospital.
“The KDHSF appreciates the assistance of the Kawartha Lakes Health Care Initiative (KLHCI) during the recruitment process,” she said.
KLHCI recruitment and retention coordinator, Cindy Snider, added, “I wish to congratulate the KDHSF for all their hard work on the recruitment of Dr. Ponraja. It has been a pleasure to assist them through the process.”
Dr. Mihu, a family doctor at the KDHC since 1999, said she was “extremely pleased” to welcome Dr. Ponraja, especially with his “vast experience and friendly, supportive manner.”
Dr. Ponraja plans to join Dr. Mihu in seeing patients from Monday to Thursday, starting March 1.
Forrester said, “it is important to note that new patients are not being accepted at this time. Dr. Mihu has been caring for a large number of patients for several years, so initially, she will be sharing her existing practice with Dr. Ponraja while preparing for her retirement and the transfer of her entire patient roster to Dr. Ponraja over the next few months.”
The KDHSF expressed gratitude to Dr. Mihu for dedicating almost 25 years of care to her patients. “Dr. Mihu’s retirement is a loss for our community, but a welldeserved respite for her. We wish her the very best in the coming years,” Forrester said.
The KDHSF thanked the community for its support, which they said makes physician recruitment possible. “The KDHSF is continuing its efforts to increase the healthcare team at the KDHC in order to meet the needs of our growing community.”
The foundation is a registered charity comprised of community volunteers who work to support and expand the healthcare team at the centre. See kdhc.ca for more information.
