The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has congratulated the winners of the annual RACGP Western Australian faculty awards.
This year's winners:
· GP of the Year is Dr Ramya Raman of Armadale
· GP in Training of the Year is Dr Anastasia Isakova of Ferndale
· General Practice of the Year is Fulham GP in Cloverdale
· GP Supervisor of the Year is Dr Andrew P'Ng of South Perth.
RACGP Acting President Associate Professor Ayman Shenouda today congratulated the award winners.
"This year's award winners highlight why general practice is so important for communities across Western Australia," Associate Professor Shenouda said.
"Dr Raman goes above and beyond in her care and is held in the highest possible regard by her patients and colleagues. The Armadale GP always takes the time to be thorough in her consultations and get to the bottom of any health concern, physical or psychological.
"She was pivotal in creating a walk-in and drive thru flu vaccine clinic at her practice, which enabled open air administering of flu vaccines amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Dr Raman is an ambassador for the profession of general practice and an alumni of the RACGP Future Leaders Program. She regularly engages her peers by facilitating College events and advocates for positive change by working closely with Members of Parliament and campaign candidates.
"She also dedicates considerable time to educating the doctors of the future. This includes training GP registrars as a medical educator at Western Australian General Practice Education and Training, and as a clinical academic with the University of Notre Dame.
"Dr Isakova has impressed many of her colleagues with her enthusiasm, reliability and ability to think outside the box. She has chosen to commit to working in aged care in general practice; a complex area of care that, given Australia's aging population, will only become even more important.
"She has drawn on her IT knowledge to improve her practice's evidence base for decision making, such as accessing up to date clinical resources.
"Dr Isakova has also been very dynamic in maximising the practice's teleconferencing methods, including the establishment of an easy and low cost option for videoconferencing in residential aged care facilities using smart phones. This has proven particularly vital during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"She is hitting the mark in difficult clinical diagnoses too, including early detection of an ovarian cancer in a patient who only presented with bloating. Dr Isakova is also fluent in Russian and provides a Russian-speaking medical service to many within the Russian diaspora in Perth.
"The Fulham GP clinic is well-known for its outstanding record of care. In 2013 the practice won the WA General Practice Education and Training practice of the year award.
"For over 10 years the practice has hosted medical students from the University of Notre Dame Medical School and feedback consistently shows that the medical students value their learning experience at Fulham GP. They are given plenty to do, including hands-on procedures, rather than being told to simply sit and observe.
"All the practice's GPs are devoted to taking the time to listen and understand patient concerns and work with them to find the best solutions. They are always willing to go that extra mile; staff have even been known to make cups of tea for distressed patients, drive them home and pick up their medications from the pharmacy.
"Staff also collaborate with each other to draw on their collective experience and expertise – a vital ingredient in superior patient care.
"During the COVID-19 pandemic the practice acted decisively by setting up a fever clinic, making changes to the waiting and consulting rooms and rostering extra staff so that patients could come after-hours for their flu vaccine.
"Dr P'Ng's dedication and passion for teaching is inspiring. He goes above and beyond the normal scope of teaching to find new and innovative ways of encouraging collaboration within his practice and with other GP clinics.
"That includes 'grand rounds'-style sessions at the larger teaching practices, Webinar evenings, billing teaching sessions, exam preparation sessions as well as social events. In the lead up to the crucial structured clinical examinations, it is not uncommon for him to spend eight to ten hours a week going through cases to ensure the doctors of the future are ready.
"He is a selfless and hardworking GP who is extremely deserved of this prestigious award.
"To all the award winners - congratulations and all the best in your future endeavours in the years ahead. Your communities are lucky to have you."
The RACGP Awards recognise the value of GPs in our community, celebrating the achievements of exceptional individuals who go above and beyond to care for their patients.
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