Sri Lankan-born Doctor Kanishka Kamaladasa has taken up residency in Dubbo and will provide the community with a full-time cardiology service.
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He has only been in Australia for one month yet he said he is settling in very well to Dubbo.
Dr Kamaladasa arrives with more than 10 years’ experience as a cardiologist in his home country and hospitals in the United Kingdom, including Leeds and Nottingham.
Dr Kamaladasa said when he applied for the position he was surprised he would be setting up a new service.
“I was told that people had to travel to Orange for this medical service,” he said.
“So I’m glad I can now say we have everything here.”
Greater Western Area Health Service have provided the doctor with some state-of-the-art equipment to assist him in his services.
“I have been provided with a echocardiogram to take ultrasounds of the heart and a special microscope that goes down through the patient’s gullet and allows us to look right in behind the heart,” he said.
Dr Kamaladasa said he was admirable of the general practitioners who had been looking after the hearts of the community for such a long time.
“Until now GPs have had to look after all cardio patients and while they did a very good job I’m glad I can contribute to helping them manage patients problems,” he said.
Dr Kamaladasa said patients with acute illness would indeed benefit from the service.
“Those who aren’t serious enough to be admitted to hospital emergency will also be able to seek my advice.”
“I am currently only seeing the patients in the wards, but I will soon be able to see external patients.”
As a cardiologist Dr Kamaladasa has had many heart conditions presented to him but he said he found the treatment of angina, otherwise known as a heart attack, particularly interesting.
“The methods of cleaning up the blocked heart and replacing the artery with a wire stint are very interesting,” he said.
“Maybe not to the patient, but to the doctor who does it.”
lucy.rowles@ruralpress.com
