Event provides health tips for Ismaili Muslims
Jan 16, 2007
Simone Joseph, Staff Writer
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Being part of a tightly knit culture can be a blessing or a curse, according to Dr. Diamond Kanji.
During part of the psychiatrist’s presentation on mental illness, he explained how a close cultural community can provide much needed support, but can also mean stigma.
“Stigma is present in cultural minorities that view mental illness the way leprosy used to be viewed,” he said.
“There shouldn’t be any shame in going and talking to a psychiatrist,” Mr. Kanji said.
Yet, fewer than half of adults and fewer than one in five kids get help for mental illness.
Dr. Kanji’s presentation was part of the Ismaili health fair in Markham Sunday.
The health fair, held at the Anthony Roman Centre, was organized by the Aga Khan Health Board for Ontario.
York’s Ismaili Muslim community is primarily located in the south. There are approximately 25,000 Ismaili Muslims in the GTA.
More than 500 people registered for the event.
Nizar Ladak spoke about Ontario’s relatively new local health integration networks and included anecdotes of his own experience.
He spoke of the time he got a frantic call from his daughter’s school saying the four-year-old had hurt her arm. She had a high fever, so Mr. Ladak and his wife brought her to Markham Stouffville Hospital late at night, where they were advised to go to a pediatrician the next day.
At the pediatrician’s office, the doctor pulled up X-rays and other information about her injury taken the night before.
“Markham is ahead of its time,” he said.
For more information on the Aga Khan Development Network, go to: www.akdn.org
Ismailimail 
I heard about this a tad late. Apparently it was “standing room only” which means it was “well attended”. Like myself, I am sure there are many who found out later, were out of the country etc. (people are still returning from vacations). It would be nice if this seminar can be arranged again….a lot of people I spoke to on Sunday evening, had no idea and would have gone if they knew…
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As a casual reader of this blog, I noticed the above comment from shaz. I would suggest providing any constructive feedback to the institutions directly. A reminder that this is NOT an institutional web-site, but rather is a public blog.
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