A Hamilton-based medical centre has appointed an ear, nose and throat consultant — filling a void created after the departure of a specialist last year.

HMC Burnaby Urgent Care and Medical Imaging said that pending Bermuda Medical Council and Department of Immigration approvals, it has hired Mounzer Ghanem, FRCSI, as a consultant otolaryngologist, head and neck surgeon.

Dr Ghanem is expected to be the island’s only full-time ear, nose and throat consultant and will fill the void left by the departure of Philip Bell, who left the island in March 2022 on health grounds.

Medics have claimed that the continuing lack of a full-time ENT specialist could cost lives.

HMC medical director J J Soares said: “I’m delighted to welcome Dr Ghanem here to further complement the services that HMC Burnaby Urgent Care and Medical Imaging already provides.”

Dr Soares added: “Since the departure of Dr Bell, Bermuda has certainly struggled not having a full-time ENT specialist for the past year.

“HMC Burnaby is very pleased to be able to restore this critically needed speciality to Bermuda’s healthcare system.

“Bermuda has not had a full-time ENT specialist available, which limits the care available to local residents, so I’m sure that many residents will be really pleased to hear of his arrival.”

Dr Soares said it was not known when Dr Ghanem will be joining the practice as that was dependant on official approvals.

“We're really looking forward to having Dr Ghanem join our team. We've had a huge amount of calls since the news of his pending arrival was announced.

“Since Dr Bell left the island, there's been a big gap. We know that there is a need on the island for an ENT specialist and as soon as the necessary approvals are received, we will let the public know about his availability."

Dr Ghanem has more 23 years of experience as an ENT surgeon and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.

For the past year, he has been a consultant ENT surgeon at Aga Khan Hospital in Kenya. Before that, he spent more than 13 years as a specialist ENT surgeon for the Almana General Hospitals Group in Saudi Arabia. Before his move to Saudi Arabia, he spent nine years in the same position in Syria.

He qualified as a doctor in 1990 after his studies at Tishreen University in Syria. He then obtained a master’s degree in ENT, head and neck surgery from Damascus University in Syria in 1993.

His postgraduate residency training was undertaken at Tygerberg Academic Hospital in South Africa and Mouassat Teaching Hospital in Syria. He recently undertook a fellowship in head and neck plastic and reconstructive surgery at Stellenbosch University in South Africa.

Dr Ghanem specialises in endoscopic sinus surgeries, snoring treatments, ear and nose surgery, head and neck surgery, head and neck cancer surgery and reconstruction and facial bone fractures and trauma.

He is a member of the European Academy of Facial Plastic Surgery.