Multicultural medical centre marks 20 years - Toowoomba Chronicle

Toowoomba 7 Day Medical Centre director Annie Sendall. Bev Lacey

THE multilingual doctors at the Toowoomba 7 Day Medical Centre are well-practised in servicing the Toowoomba community.

The practice recently celebrated its 20-year anniversary and managing director Annie Sendall thinks one of the best services on offer is her staff's ability to talk to patients in their native language.

"I love that we're a multicultural practice," she said.

"We have doctors who speak Arabic and Mandarin and can communicate with those groups in our community.

"It's a broad service."

The centre was founded by seven directors and over the course of the past 20 years changed ownership and is now run by three directors, after the recent retirement of Dr Neville Lutton.

Ms Sendall said the education of new doctors was a top priority and vision of the business directors.

"Registrar education and training med students is important for the profitability and expansion of our business," she said.

"It's hard to get kids to come to Toowoomba so providing good education opportunities is important for getting them here and for the retention of our doctors. The students enjoy a taste of all aspects of the practice to get a whole view. The registrars get to enjoy a diversity of patients and having good support.

"We aim to keep on with the education and find new ways to give quality health care to our patients."

Ms Sendall said the after-hours care was a vital service for the people of Toowoomba as well as the central location of the practice.

"The after-hours works on a roster basis, with a co-operative of doctors.

"Patients need access to after-hours care. They need to know they can be seen and provided with a continuity of care and the transfer of their records."

She said in her 10 years at the centre she'd enjoyed seeing the new generation of doctors come through.

"I've also loved watching the different generations of patients."

The Toowoomba 7 Day Medical Centre has a doctor on call from 8pm to 8am Monday to Friday and Saturdays and Sundays 7pm to 8am.