Meet the new medical officer of health in Sudbury
Public Health Sudbury & Districts has a new medical officer of health and chief executive officer.
Dr. Mustafa Hirji was born in Edmonton and comes with eight years of experience at Niagara Public Health.
Hirji said his No. 1 priority as the health unit’s new lead is talking to people.
“Learn the organization, meet the people and really understand what is really good about here and where are the opportunities, where we have the most opportunity to improve things,” he said.
“So I don’t really want to jump too much into deciding … until I have had the opportunity to learn some of that.”
Hirji said he is committed to ensuring programming remains locally responsive.
Public Health Sudbury & Districts has a new medical officer of health and chief executive officer. Dr. Mustafa Hirji was born in Edmonton and comes with eight years of experience at Niagara Public Health. (Alana Everson/CTV News)
“Health inequity and health equity I would say the positive framing of that is really actually one of my true passions,” he said.
“I think that when we look at health outcomes it really tracks with what we call the social determinants of health. The conditions in which people live, housing, their income their education status really just even the infrastructure around them.”
Hirji said he plans to meet with Indigenous communities with the goal of improving health and health equity throughout the service area.
“I think (that’s) one of the key partners that we absolutely want to be meeting with,” he said.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
“I know as Public Health Sudbury & Districts has been doing a lot of work in recent years to really take responsibility for our role in reconciliation with Indigenous populations and so that is an absolute priority of mine.”
Hirji said he plans to get out into the community to gain insights into the unique local contexts, community needs and public health opportunities and challenges.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.