WESTLOCK — Dr. Noel DaCunha, a driving force in the recruitment and retention of Westlock doctors for many years, has been recognized by Alberta’s Rural Health Professions Action Plan (RhPAP) for his efforts and his outstanding contributions and was awarded the 2023 Rhapsody Rural Physician Award May 30.
Dr. DaCunha has practiced family medicine in Alberta for 37 years — four in the Village of Manville and 33 in Westlock. He has worked in obstetrics and emergency medicine and is a faculty member with the University of Alberta as an associate clinical professor with the department of family medicine and is the current president of the Alberta College of Family Physicians.
Along with patients at the Westlock Healthcare Centre and in long-term care, Dr. DaCunha continues his family practice at the Associated Medical Clinic.
“I’m humbled and grateful at all the people who nominated me and supported me in this (award),” Dr. DaCunha said of receiving the award. “I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without the support of my office staff, colleagues and the community in general.”
Since 2002, the program has recognized health care providers and physicians in rural Alberta and celebrates individuals and teams that make significant civic and health-care contributions within rural parts of the province.
He has lived on several continents including Asia, Africa and the U.K. where he studied to be a doctor and said he is happy he chose Westlock.
“Having trained in the U.K. and then coming to Alberta, I’ve always wanted to practice in a rural setting, away from the big city but not too far away. I started off in Manville and that was enlightening. It was a brand-new experience in this country and this province,” said Dr. DaCunha, noting while raising a family here they learned much about rural life and pastimes as well as enjoyed many wintertime pursuits. “It was good training (in London) for practising in rural Alberta. Having lived in all these places, I can with some authority say that Westlock, Alberta is the best place in the world to live. It’s got good recreational facilities, medical facilities, it’s not too far away, but far enough from the city centres of St. Albert and Edmonton and the amenities here are attractive for any family, young families and older people,” he added. “Westlock is a place to live, work, raise a family, stay active. It’s as good as it gets.”
Dr. DaCunha noted the important role family physicians have in small town, rural Alberta, many who take on duties outside the clinics they run, including at local hospitals and emergency departments where they often provide anaesthetics, do surgeries or deliver babies.
“So hopefully between all the doctors in town you can provide a comprehensive service to your patients and that’s what Westlock’s been able to do over the years,” he said, noting there have been some challenges but they do what they can and transfer patients to the city if specialized care is required.
Recruiting and retaining doctors in Westlock has been a prime focus for Dr. DaCunha for many years and he’s done so through teaching and mentoring the next generation of physicians, including medical students specializing in different areas and family medicine residents, committed to practising family medicine in rural Alberta.
“There’s two purposes when we’re training students. One is to train them to become good physicians and serve our province, country and elsewhere in the world and the other is …maybe some of them might be interested in practising in rural Alberta, not just Westlock but elsewhere,” he said, noting several of those medical students he mentored over the years have returned as colleagues. “There are at least three doctors in this clinic that are ex-students and residents who came back to Westlock. That’s part of the rationale for doing what we do is to try and keep that going.”
