Spotlight on Obstetrician - Gynecologist Dr. Asiya Hameed
For Dr. Asiya Hameed, the decision to relocate from Saskatchewan to Ontario has been a very good one; for the many women she has cared for in and around our community, the same sentiment holds true!
Based at NHH, Dr. Hameed opened her office three years ago in December, 2007. Since that time she has delivered or assisted at the delivery of hundreds of local babies and cared for women of all ages, both during and beyond their child-bearing years.
Skilled in colposcopy, a test performed on women following a pap test indicating abnormal results, and urogynecology, a specialty that helps women manage bladder problems due to childbirth, surgery or aging, Dr. Hameed has brought these additional gynecological services to west Northumberland and, in so doing, reduced local residents’ need to travel elsewhere for their care.
Says Dr. Michael Green, Dr. Hameed’s colleague in Obstetrics and Gynecology, and a member of the recruitment team that helped convince her to select our area for her practice: “It’s been a real pleasure to welcome Dr. Hameed to our community after working as a solo practitioner for so many years! She is a very skilled practitioner and it has been wonderful to have her join our team!”
On the obstetrical side, Dr. Hameed serves women with normal pregnancies as well as those with risk factors. Patients from both west Northumberland and the surrounding communities are accepted with a referral from a family physician. In situations where a patient does not have a family physician, self-referrals are accepted. “I generally begin to see women as early as required in their pregnancy,” she notes, “and our visits will continue at my office here at the Hospital first monthly, then every two weeks and, finally, weekly, until the baby is born.”
“Northumberland has been very welcoming to me and the particular services I offer have proven to be much in demand,” notes Dr. Hameed. “I chose my profession because I wanted to help women. It is difficult to describe the satisfaction one feels when you have the privilege to care for a woman throughout her pregnancy and to be there at delivery when the new baby is welcomed into the family. It is very rewarding.”
“The obstetrical program at NHH has a strong reputation for good reason and I am honoured to be part of it. It is a true interdisciplinary program, drawing on the skills and expertise of practitioners from a range of specialties and backgrounds. Care is managed according to the guidelines recommended by the College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the MORE-OB (Managing Obstetrical Risk Effectively) program, and it is--most important--very patient-centred. We hear a lot of about this today--the delivery mom’s right to understand what’s happening, and make decisions, such as those related to an epidural, for example--and it is certainly part of the culture here at NHH. Patients are at the heart of decision-making and it is our duty as practitioners to give them the information to make the best choices that are right for them and their babies.”
A member of the Colposcopy Society of Canada, Dr. Hameed also accepts referrals for colposcopies at NHH. She has also introduced a uro-dynamic assessment program for women experiencing bladder difficulties. “NHH is so well equipped,” notes Dr. Hameed. “I have been able to put the latest tools and technologies available for diagnosis and management into good use.”
Referrals to Dr. Hameed for all of these services are made through one’s family physician. Those without a family doctor may contact her office directly at 905-377-7796.