By Mike Anderson
Known for its wide selection of vitamins, supplements, and natural products, Sutton Apothecary, located at 121 High Street, is branching out to provide primary care services, opening a new family and walk-in clinic last month.
Dr. Hossein Sardsiri, a family physician, operates the clinic three days a week: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Bookings are taken from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The clinic also stays open from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. on those days for same-day emergencies or urgent cases, for instance, if a child has a fever or if someone needs stitches.
While Dr. Sardsiri will be splitting his time between Sutton and his other family practice in Richmond Hill, he hopes to expand the clinic’s hours as demand for his services grows in Sutton.
“At the moment, we want to provide service to everyone. Even if they prefer to keep their own family doctor,” Dr. Sardsiri said.
“But if they don’t have a family doctor or they prefer to transfer their care, we can also take over that.”
Dr. Sardsiri recently completed his postgraduate training in Family Medicine at the University of Toronto.
Before emigrating to Canada, he practiced medicine in Iran and Oman, graduating from Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS), one of Iran’s top medical schools, in 2000.
Pharmacist Michael Ramzy, who owns Sutton Apothecary with his wife Lilian Ibrahim, also a pharmacist, was delighted to get a physician like Dr. Sardsiri to join their clinic.
“It felt very comfortable from the beginning; Dr. Sardsiri felt like he would fit in,” Ramzy said.
“We love our community here. And right away, we saw how his demeanour and spirit could benefit the community.”
Indeed, Dr. Sardsiri is becoming known for his bedside manner, spending more time with his patients so they don’t feel rushed.
“They want someone to listen to them and try to help them,” he said.
“We are here to provide the information that the patient needs to make an educated decision for themselves — this is their life; this is their body. We are just here to help. And I always try to make them as comfortable as possible.”
“The OHIP standard of ten minutes per patient is not enough time. But that is how the system works. We try to set longer appointments as much as possible. Especially, as we are not a capacity,” he added.
“The other day, I had a one-hour home visit with a patient who couldn’t come to the clinic.”
While Ramzy admits he’s taking a financial risk opening a new walk-in clinic, he says he’s addressing a real need, especially after several family physicians retired.
“We saw the pattern happening with our patients, the lack of primary care,” he said.
“It wasn’t easy to build a clinic. We had to do most of the renovations during store hours. But it needed to be done.”
Dr. Sardsiri also points out that the walk-in clinic is equipped to handle minor surgical procedures, including removing nonmalignant moles.
“We can also provide biopsies and send them to the lab. But, sometimes, when you examine the patient, the lumps or moles are not considered medical; they are more cosmetic. For example, a mole that you don’t like, we can remove it and stitch it,” he said.
“However, if there’s a mole near a nerve or blood vessel that requires more specialized care, we will refer the patient to a plastic surgeon.”
Both men want to expand the services offered at the clinic, and Dr. Sardsiri is currently reaching out to other physicians, including psychiatrists, as he says there isn’t enough support for mental health in the area.
“You know the community is big and growing, and it’s going to need all of us,” Ramzy said.
For more information, visit www.suttonapothecary.com. Or call 905-722-3302 to book an appointment with Dr. Sardsiri.
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