Northeast Health Wangaratta has expanded its public Gynaecology Clinic, providing more opportunities for people requiring specialist services.
Established in 2021, the clinic recently added a second day to meet consumer demand, with a team of three specialists supporting referrals from GPs across the region.
Dr Leo Fogarty is NHW Interim Director of Obstetrics and said the clinic was supporting patients with infertility investigation, menstrual issues, management of endometriosis and other pelvic pain, contraception, investigation of gynaecological cancers and surgical procedures.
“We have a great team of highly skilled clinicians available to support patients with a broad range of gynaecological concerns,” Dr Fogarty said.
Dr Fogarty said the additional clinic capacity would help reduce the wait times locally for women seeking support for gynaecology concerns.
“Our clinic supports referrals from across the North East in addition to the Wangaratta community, including Yarrawonga, Indigo and Alpine shires and Benalla,” Dr Fogarty said.
Dr Olufela Ifaturoti joined NHW in July from New Zealand, bringing with him more than 30 years of experience in obstetrics and gynaecology.
With equally strong credentials, Dr Rajesh Gangaram joined NHW from South Africa and Dr Attia Rizwan is a former senior registar and rounds out the team after relocating from Western Australia.
Dr Rizwan said she was enjoying her time in the northeast and the opportunity to apply her significant experience in obstetrics.
“I enjoy helping women have a safe birthing experience and extending this to support their other gynaecological needs,” Dr Rizwan said.
Dr Gangaram said more women were presenting with pelvic pain, with greater awareness of conditions like endometriosis and possible treatments.
“There is greater awareness about a host of conditions that women in the past would endure without exploring the options available, so it’s positive that more people are seeing a specialist for investigation and to explore treatment options,” Dr Gangaram said.
Dr Ifaturoti said the clinic was keen to promote its referral options with GPs and working to reduce the wait time for people seeking support.
“We know that gynaecological conditions can be very disruptive to a person’s daily life and we hope the extended clinic will help meet the demand across our region and have a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of our community,” Dir Ifaturoti said.
People interested in booking an appointment with the clinic are encouraged to speak to their GP to obtain a referral.