After becoming a cardiologist at the age of 26, Dr. Haitham Sakr has brought his experience to northern Ontario as the newest member of SAH’s cardiology program
Dr. Haitham Sakr is the newest member of Sault Area Hospital’s cardiology program.
An interventional cardiologist, he uses minimally invasive techniques to diagnose and treat heart conditions.
“I want to do all I can to make things better for patients,” Sakr told SooToday.
Much of his work involves coronary angioplasty, a procedure used to widen blocked or narrowed coronary arteries.
“We tell a patient that they have a blockage or a narrowing in one or more of their vessels. We go in – through the wrist, arm or groin – dilate and put in a stent, which is something like a spring that will widen their vessels and stay in for the rest of their lives.”
That procedure is followed by patients taking blood thinning medication.
Born and raised in Egypt, Sakr received his medical training in Egypt and Saudi Arabia and was a cardiologist by the early age of 26.
“I still hold the record for being one of the youngest in Egypt (to become a cardiologist),” Sakr said.
“I started a little bit early. I took my fifth and sixth grade education in one year so I went to university when I was 16 years old and finished medical school at 23 before I specialized in cardiology.”
His aptitude in biology and chemistry led him to attend medical school.
Sakr said he was inspired to specialize in cardiology by Dr. Ashraf Zaki, a now-deceased colleague in Egypt.
“He was the man that put me on that road,” Sakr said, adding that he used to imitate heart sounds with his mouth.
“I was amazed how a human being could be so talented and able to imitate heart sounds.
“I got into the field of cardiology because of him. We remained friends for two decades before he passed away.”
Now a permanent resident of Canada and licensed to practice medicine in Ontario, Sakr worked as a cardiologist and consultant for 18 years in Saudi Arabia before arriving in the Sault to join the SAH cardiology team in January 2026.
He was inspired to move to the Sault by SAH cardiologist Dr. Rami Abazid and Dr. Michael Kutryk, a Toronto-based heart surgeon who works closely with SAH’s cardiology program.
“I was expecting snow. I have been in Canada before and I know what snow means but not that amount of snow,” he laughed while recalling his January arrival in the Sault.
Nevertheless, Sakr said he came to the community prepared with lots of winter clothing.
The 46-year-old married father of three said he plans to enjoy canoeing, swimming and tennis when not caring for patients.
“A professor of mine in Egypt told me medicine is not just about prolonging patients’ lives. It’s improving their quality of life,” Sakr said.
He agrees with that view.
“It’s not just about giving pills to the patient and hoping that everything will be OK, so that’s what led me into interventional cardiology.”
Despite the vitally important nature of his profession, Sakr said he doesn’t view himself as a hero.
“Stenting is done everywhere, but what really matters to me is when you see the gratefulness and the gratitude in a patient’s eyes and the family members’ eyes after a procedure.”
“That’s priceless,” Sakr said.