The Associate Medical Clinic in Fort MacMurray has closed the doors permanently because of difficulties in locating medical staff or a buyer interested in the property. The clinic was operated by Dr. Keet Peng Wong, who passed away last summer. Wong was an obstetrician gynecologist who is believed to have delivered more than 20,000 babies in Fort MacMurray over his career. Once Dr. Wong passed his family members started searching for someone who could take over the private practice, which is situated at Riedel Street and Franklin Avenue, but so far there have been no serious takers. The doors to the clinic were closed in October.

According to Chris, the son of Dr. Keet Peng Wong, “We tried looking for someone to take it over, either a group or a physician, but no one was either willing or able to do so. The rent itself is quite expensive and it’s a very large property, like 4,400-square-feet. Just the amount of space and what it cost threw people off,. So for us to maintain the property and pay the lease, but not as an active business, is not financially responsible.” This resulted in the Associate Medical Clinic in Fort MacMurray being closed for good. Dr. Wong was the first certified OB/GYN in the entire region when he first arrived in Fort MacMurray in 1978, and the physician often worked 60 o 80 hours a week just to keep up with growing demand. Wong delivered Fort McMurray-Conklin MLA Don Scott’s children, and Scott said “His loss and the loss of the clinic is a tremendous loss to us. He was a very good friend of our family. It’s very upsetting they were not able to recruit staff to take things over.”