Why one U.K. doctor decided to move to B.C.

As B.C. continues its push to recruit American doctors, a family physician from the U.K. has made the move to Kelowna.

So far, so good for Dr. Saad Khan and his wife Samantha.

The couple recently made the move from the U.K. to Kelowna, B.C., where Dr. Khan now works as a family physician.

“Every single person that we have met from the second we got off the plane has welcomed us, and thanked us,” said Samantha Khan, who loves her new province and community.

“B.C. is kind of what you think about when you think of Canada. You think of the trees and the mountains and the lakes, and they’re all right outside your window,” she said.

The couple has been documenting their journey on social media, hoping friends and family will follow in their footsteps.

“I think I have been able to convince my brother so we might have one more family Dr. Kahn in B.C. soon,” said the family physician.

More doctors in B.C. is what the province has been hoping for.

Last spring, the government launched a targeted U.S. recruitment campaign for health-care workers and had 780 applications as of June 30. The Ministry of Health did not provide updated numbers Thursday but said there would be more information released in the coming weeks.

“Our government’s commitment is to continue to strengthen the health-care system here in B.C.,” said Health Minister Josie Osborne.

The Khans’ journey to our province began after they saw an ad on social media about the search for doctors in Canada. Dr. Khan already had a Kelowna connection.

“I had a colleague who used to work with me in the U.K. and he moved to Canada, to B.C., and luckily, we are colleagues again. He works in the same clinic as me,” he explained.

He said he’s aware that Canada’s health-care system is overburdened, but still believes B.C. offers a better life than the U.K.

“I’ve been here almost two months now. I’m responsible for almost 300 patients now…that being said, it’s unfortunately quite bad, even worse, back home,” he explained.

Samantha Khan is an occupational therapist, and also hopes to find a job in Kelowna once she gets through all the required assessment exams.

Beyond workloads, the couple has other reasons for leaving the U.K.

One is financial. The other is more personal.

“They (in the U.K.) don’t want people of my skin color to come and stay. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you are, what you do. If you’re brown, you’re somehow locked in with all the illegal immigration that everyone keeps talking about,” he said.

Dr. Khan said when he posted his concerns on social media, the couple was shocked at the response from people in the U.K.

“Even I had to take a moment to pause because of the amount of vitriol being thrown at me,” he said.

Meanwhile, the couple is enjoying new experiences in B.C.

“We had poutine for the first time. That was really good. We love it!” he said.

But even as they soak in the last days of summer, they’ve being warned about Canadian winters.

“According to Google, Kelowna’s winters are not that bad. We will find out in a few months,” he laughed.