New Rochester GP Dr Maxy Mariasegaram with Rochester Outreach Clinic staff, Tash Abdah.
Photo by
JORDAN TOWNROW
Rochester has a new doctor in town, with Dr Maxy Mariasegaram taking on a general practitioner role at the Rochester Outreach Clinic.
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Before Rochester, he was stationed in Balnarring on the Mornington Peninsula, while also travelling Australia as a locum doctor, helping out in different rural and remote communities.
Through his work as a locum doctor in remote areas, Dr Mariasegaram fell in love with small community life.
When he heard that the Rochester Outreach Clinic was looking for a GP, he happily put his hand up for the challenge.
Dr Mariasegaram said he is happy to provide a continuity of care to the Rochester community.
“(The community) seem to be quite grateful to have someone around full time at the moment,” he said.
“The locum model, where you bring people in for a couple of weeks... unfortunately, for the chronic nature of health issues here, I don't think that's a particularly suitable model.
“You move out (after) you've done your bit to put a bandage, but there's no-one to continue it in a more holistic way, which is the continuity of care... which is why I became a GP in the first place.
“You have to rely on (locum doctors) from time to time, but I think it's good to be more permanent and look after people in the long term.”
Dr Maxy Mariasegaram brings a wealth of knowledge with him. Photo: Jordan Townrow.
Having studied medicine at the University of Sydney and completed General Practice training in Melbourne after working in hospitals across NSW and Victoria, Dr Mariasegaram brings with him a wealth of knowledge.
He also holds a Diploma in Child Health and, in a previous career, a PhD in genetics from the University of Melbourne.
His clinical interests include chronic disease management, mental health, paediatrics, acute medicine and procedural work.
Following community interest in skin work, he is now working with the REDHS team to enable him to offer skin screenings and biopsies.
Dr Mariasegaram said he has enjoyed his time in Rochester so far and getting to know the community.
“I really enjoy the people that I meet in this town,” he said.
“I like it here because you get the full spectrum, from a six-week-old baby to the elderly, whereas some other towns I’ve worked, it's been one demographic type.
“It's rewarding medicine, and that's the thing that I find most appealing here, the sense of plugging the gap between the country and city.”
Dr Mariasegaram is available at the Rochester Outreach Clinic Monday to Friday, from 8.30am to 5pm.
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