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
Trudeau acknowledges charges in Nijjar killing, calls for commitment to democracy
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged the charges laid Friday in relation to the murder of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Princess Anne lays wreath at B.C. veteran's cemetery; receives 21-gun salute
Princess Anne paid tribute to veterans buried at a cemetery in British Columbia today, laying a wreath to honour the more than 2,500 military personnel and family members buried there.
Mystik Dan wins the 150th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in a three-horse photo finish
Mystik Dan won the 150th Kentucky Derby in a photo finish, edging out Forever Young and Sierra Leone for the upset victory.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.