Dr. Elahi with patient Poras Patel.

Patient becomes Foundation donor after receiving excellent care

A patient who has returned to The Scarborough Hospital four times in the past year for ongoing treatment is so impressed with the care he received that he donated $1,000 to the hospital’s Emergency Department.

Sixty-eight year old Poras Patel wrote a glowing two-page letter complimenting Drs. Mohammed Elahi and John You, as well as the staff in the Emergency Department, stating “I was very well looked after at the hospital right from the beginning.”

“I am so deeply grateful to your hospital and its wonderful personnel for looking after me so well that I am compelled to give back in some tangible manner, however meagre,” Mr. Patel states in his letter.

For Dr. Mohammed Elahi, the plastic surgeon who looked after Mr. Patel on his first and subsequent visits, the letter emphasizes the entire team.

“I notice the letter includes comments on Dr. You, a great vascular surgeon, and the ER staff. It’s really complimenting the team, and that’s what I like about it,” says Dr. Elahi, who has worked with TSH for three years. “We are all members of a larger group here at The Scarborough Hospital, and it’s a privilege to be a part of that group; to work with colleagues and associated staff who all have the same goal of patient satisfaction, providing patients with good quality care.

“That’s what’s so satisfying about working here.”

Practicing plastic surgery since 2004, Dr. Elahi chose TSH for several reasons.

“We have the largest plastic surgery division in Canada with a great reputation nationwide, perhaps even internationally,” he says. “Great plastic surgery innovations are performed right here, and I am proud to work with the senior plastic surgeons and be part of this division.”

An Etobicoke native, Dr. Elahi went to medical school at the University of Western Ontario and completed his surgical training at McGill University. He has also worked in Philadelphia and Detroit.

“My areas of expertise are cranial facial surgery, skin cancer reconstruction, hand trauma and some cosmetic surgery,” Dr. Elahi adds. “The idea of being able to take care of patients and to resolve issues has always appealed to me, so I chose medicine as my career.”