Dr. Raman Kumar

Class of 2020

“Ultimately we’d like to set an example on how healthcare can be really effectively delivered through an integrated model.”

Over the past two years, Dr. Kumar has worked tirelessly in developing MaxWell Medical into a cutting-edge healthcare centre right here in Fort McMurray.

After graduating from McMaster University with his MD, and then completing his family medicine residency at the University of Alberta, Dr. Kumar worked at a group practice in Fort McMurray for a couple years before deciding to venture out on his own. The mission was to build a “one stop shop” for healthcare where medical professionals from all different fields could work together under one roof. “We need to move away from fragmented healthcare to a more integrated approach,” said Dr. Kumar. “Close cooperation between members of a patient’s healthcare team – whether that may be their family doctor or their physiotherapist – has been shown to improve patient outcomes time and time again.”

By all measures Dr. Kumar’s efforts have borne fruit. Since its launch, MaxWell (short for “Maximum Wellness”) has become home to numerous family physicians and specialists. The centre services about 12,000 patients in Fort McMurray, roughly a fifth of the City’s population. However, the journey hasn’t always been easy. Dr. Kumar and his team were forced to navigate their way through a tumultuous 2020, which included the pandemic, an economic downturn and then a massive flood in April that destroyed large swathes of Downtown, including MaxWell Medical. The team quickly bounced back, however, getting their operations back up within a couple weeks through a temporarily leased facility. In the meantime the MaxWell team has embarked on the arduous journey of rebuilding their original building from the ground up. But Dr Kumar sees a silver lining.

“The flood was certainly a setback,” he said, “but it also gives us the opportunity to completely revamp MaxWell Medical. We’re so excited to share our revamped facility once we re-launch early in the New Year.”

What’s next on the agenda? “We plan to keep taking good care of our patients, keep broadening our services and ultimately we’d like to set an example on how healthcare can be really effectively delivered through an integrated model.”