LONDON, Ontario – London Muslim Mosque, the first mosque in Ontario, has donated about $90,000 to the London Health Sciences Foundation towards the training of an international physician on December 10.
“The London Muslim Mosque welcomes this opportunity to support medical education and training for physicians from underprivileged regions and developing world and consequently assist in bettering the lives of patients who need medical attention,” a statement by the mosque read.
The donation will support the two-year medical training period of an international specialty physician at the London Health Sciences Center.
The physician was trained by the Nephrology Department at the LHSC. The trainee was working at the Al-Shifaa hospital in Gaza and now will be better equipped to assist those in need with the expertise gained. Gaza has been suffering from a collapsing health system.
“In Gaza strip, we have only five kidney doctors for two million people. So, I hope to help my colleagues improve the level of care, at least in the nephrology department (there),” Dr. Gaeth Alazanean told CTV London.
This is the first time the mosque has supported the training of a doctor.
It held a major fundraiser earlier this year to support the initiative.
Muslims are the fastest growing religious community in Canada, according to the country’s statistical agency, Statistics Canada.
Canada’s Muslim population increased by 82 percent over the past decade – from about 579,000 in 2001 to more than 1 million in 2011.
Muslims represent 3.2 percent of Canada’s total population.