Tea Gardens gains new medical centre and doctors

NEW medical services have become available to Myall Coast residents, with the opening of the Tea Gardens GP Medical Centre.

Just over a month since the grand opening, founder and clinical supervisor Dr M. Mohammed said he is very happy to be back.

Dr Mohammed practiced in Hawks Nest between 2019-23, arriving just in time to help with the fallout from COVID-19, before heading off to run the Peppertree GP practice in Medowie.

Originally from the ancient city of Mosul, along the Tigris River in the foothills of the Kurdish Mountains, Dr Mohammed’s life took him from his university in Jordan to Australia more than a decade ago.

“I worked rotations for two years in the Hunter-New England health system, having undertaken Intensive Care Unit (ICU) training in 2015,” he told News Of The Area.

“That took me to Canberra, Sydney and Gosford.

“I also received GP training and a fellowship with the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine.”

Dr Mohammed is also a medical educator and examiner, as well as a clinical supervisor.

“We are happy to be back. Me especially, because I have a soft spot for Mumm’s seafood mornay.”

Dr Mohammed still runs the Peppertree GP at Medowie, and has been joined in Tea Gardens by fellow practitioners Dr Shaimaa Elgayar, Dr Ahmed Shetia, and Dr Karan Sian.

All three began their medical journeys together in Hunter-New England Hospitals before each proceeded to serve the communities of Cessnock and Medowie as dedicated GPs.

The new Tea Gardens GP Medical Centre is located at Shops 1 and 4, 209 Myall Street.

As well as the general practice, it hosts a treatment and pathology section, skin cancer clinic, women’s and children’s health specialists, vaccinations, and chronic disease management.

Podiatry services are also proposed.

Local tradies were hired to get the centre up and running, and Dr Mohammed said there is a policy of bulk billing.

“I want to bulk bill because I want to help people, and we are very aware of the fact that patients can get reluctant to even go to a doctor if they are worrying about the bill at the end.

“[This means] some people are not getting the help they really need.”

The centre is still accepting new patients and is also looking for nursing staff – preferably local.

By Thomas O’KEEFE