Five new faces at Foster Medical Centre

THREE young doctors and two fourth year medical students have joined the medical team at Foster Medical Centre.

All say they are delighted to be here. The local practice (and adjoining South Gippsland Hospital), they pointed out, has a great reputation for the quality of its medical staff and the training they provide.

Registrars Syam Navuru, Claire Langford and Alison Wilde are fully qualified doctors undertaking specialisation in general practice. To do this they rotate around various medical practices for two to three years. Dr Navuru will be at Foster for six months, while Dr Langford and Dr Wilde will be at Foster all year.

Dr Wilde grew up in Gippsland and did her medical training in Melbourne. A granddaughter of Dr Robert Fleming, she is particularly happy to be working in the district where her late grandfather was so well known and respected.

Indian-trained Dr Navuru has lived in Australia for seven years. He is taking a rural pathway in his GP training and has just come from Neerim South, where he spent his first six-month term training in general practice. He and his wife, Uma, have a five-month-old daughter and are enjoying living in Foster, where they have found everyone to be very friendly.

Dr Langford grew up in Melbourne and studied medicine in Adelaide. She is training in obstetrics as well as general practice and is full of praise for Foster’s medical centre. “All the doctors here are very good to work with,” she said.

“A good work place such as this makes such a difference,” agreed Dr Navuru.

Elizabeth Cole and Brandon Cheong are among seven fourth-year Monash University medical students currently on a year’s placement at a medical practice in South Gippsland. They share tutorials under local doctors David Iser and Trevor Andrews.

Elizabeth, originally from Canberra, said she chose to come to Foster on the recommendation of other students who have enjoyed their time here. In what has rapidly become a very successful training program, Foster takes two medical students each year.

The medical students will see patients, with their permission, in longer consultations – up to an hour – but will work under the supervision of doctors.

“We will be learning about general practice, as well as women’s health, children’s health and psychological health during our time here,” said Elizabeth.

Brandon grew up in Singapore and is not overly familiar with Australia, but he enjoyed a visit to Wilsons Promontory so was happy to be told his placement was Foster.

He and the other four all started at Foster in February and have been made to feel very welcome since then. A highlight for many was a curry dinner which made the most of Foster having such a multicultural medical centre. Brandon was among the cooks, along with Syam’s wife Uma and Dr Hutch (Hutchinson Thurairajah). Registrars and student doctors agree that in coming to Foster they have definitely fallen on their feet.

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