A Greater Sudbury doctor who spearheaded local fundraising efforts for tsunami victims is leaving the city this summer.
Dr. Sham Merali has confirmed he's joining a medical group in Oakville to be closer to his three university-aged children, who are attending school in southern Ontario and the United States.
"We're leaving at the end of July, and it's really sad for me and my family. We've been here 32 years, and this is our home. I do not know how to practice in any other place except Sudbury," he said.
Merali made the comments Wednesday night after telling city council about the latest efforts of Tsunami Rx, a tsunami relief charity he co-founded with colleague Dr. Brian Lynch.
The doctor visited Sri Lanka in February 2005 and again in February 2006, and delivered aid to victims of the Dec. 26, 2004 tsunami.
A multicultural concert and private donations are paying for the construction of a primary school, a technical school, an early childhood education program and a vocational school for the blind.
The southern part of Sri Lanka has recovered well from the tsunami, which killed an estimated 275,000 people, but the north is still a mess, he said.
"We saw a family of five refugees still living in a warehouse in an eight by eight area. That was tough to see."
