Doctors
Dr Bharti Patel
Dr Bharti Patel grew up in a small town in the rural state of Gujurat in India, with a single, childhood ambition – to be a doctor. Dr Patel had to make sacrifices to achieve that ambition, leaving family and a close knit community to further her studies and qualifications at medical institutions in India’s major centres and in Australia. Dr Patel says her childhood experiences taught her the value of small towns and rural living. When she qualified as a general practitioner and sought a new life in Australia, Dr Patel knew her work wouldn’t be based in Sydney or Melbourne. “I knew I wasn’t a city girl,” she says. “I have an affinity with country towns and I feel that’s where I can make a contribution as a doctor, to the health of the entire community.” Before arriving in Taree, Dr Patel worked in Townsville in Queensland. Her first appointment in the Manning Valley was at the Mayo Private Hospital in Taree before she began practicing as a GP more than a decade ago. In 2016 she decided it was time to launch a state of the art GP practice with her colleague Dr Hema Phirangi. The Manning Valley Medical Practice is the culmination of decades of hard work, study and sacrifice. For Dr Patel, it’s the realisation of a lifelong dream. When she is not tending to the growing number of patients at MVMP, Dr Patel enjoys social badminton and family life. She is married with two children and has her eyes firmly fixed on a future in Taree. In partnership with Dr Hema Phirangi and Dr Ruwaida Al-Rubai, Dr Patel says she intends to expand services, extend opening hours and increase the number of doctors on staff to make sure the Manning Valley Medical Practice delivers the very best health and medical service to her hometown – and the people who live in...
Read MoreDr Hema Phirangi
Growing up in the Indian state of Hyderabad, Dr Phirangi always knew she wanted to be a doctor. She studied medicine in her home state and finished her studies at a multi-specialist hospital and medical centre there before emigrating to Australia to further her career. She has worked and studied at the John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle where she specialised in Aboriginal health and general practice and at Westmead Childrens Hospital, where she gained further qualifications in child health. Dr Phirangi is passionate about all aspects of general practice, particularly women’s health and is proud of the role the Practice plays in providing a range of specialists to expand the services available to women in Taree. As co-founder of the Manning Valley Medical Practice Dr Phirangi says it is a vital service for the community, providing the very best medical care for families in a rapidly growing region. She hopes to expand MVMP to five doctors, enabling it to open at weekends and expand its specialist base. “We have 3000 patients on our database at the moment and ideally I would like to offer longer opening hours and have two more doctors join our team,” she says. “Whatever growth we plan in the future though, our first priority is always quality care for every client at MVMP.” When she is not tending to patients at the practice, Dr Phirangi is involved in her community. She is passionate about Indian dance and has run a series of workshops in Taree, teaching Bollywood dancing. Dr Phirangi is married to a dentist who practices in Taree and Forster and has two children aged ten and seven. “I’m proud of the fact my children were born right here in Taree. I care about the people in this community and I am proud to be a custodian of their health and well-being. “I’m also hoping I can get more people joining me for Bollywood classes – exercise is good for your health and dancing is such an enjoyable way to stay fit and...
Read MoreDr Ruwaida Al-Rubai
Like her colleagues at Manning Valley Medical Practice, Dr Ruwaida Al-Rubai knew she was destined to work in medicine. Her father encouraged her ambitions from an early age and there was little doubt Ruwaida would fulfil her dream. Dr Al-Rubai was born and educated in Iraq, half a world away from the Manning Valley. Little did she know she would eventually be one of the principals in a state of the art medical centre in the blossoming rural city of Taree, on the banks of the Manning River. Her story begins during her primary school years when teachers and family noticed her compassionate nature and flair for academic studies. At university, she gained a primary degree in medicine before meeting her husband, also studying medicine, marrying and starting a family. With a young son in tow, Dr Al-Rubai finished her board degree, specialising in pediatrics. The family decided their life was not in Iraq, but in Australia and 25 years ago, they emigrated. Dr Al-Rubai worked initially at Westmead Hospital, spending two years in Paediatrics. Family commitments brought a new direction to her life and Dr Al-Rubai sat her Australian medical examinations and then worked as a GP at a busy Sydney practice for 18 months. When her husband secured a position as a surgeon at Taree Hospital, Dr Al-Rubai knew this was the opportunity for the lifestyle and community she was looking for, a place to raise her family and continue building her career. “I worked at the Manning River Referral Hospital and as a GP in a medical centre, but it wasn’t what I was looking for professionally, ” she says. “When the opportunity arose to help establish the Manning Valley Medical Practice I knew this would be where I could devote my energies and make a difference in my community. “I’m proud of its reputation and the care and compassion we are able to give our patients. My goal now is to help build it into a very successful practice.” Dr Al-Rubai’s life choices have meant not only has she contributed to her community in the Manning Valley, but she has also managed to raise two sons who graduated from Taree High School and have gone on to achieve professional success, one in the field of digital marketing and the other following family tradition and becoming a surgeon. Iraq is a very long way from the Manning Valley, but Dr Al-Rubai’s community has been well served by a father’s dream for his daughter and her own ambitions to live up to those...
Read More