Venturing from the big smoke, Dr Tim Shiraev has been bringing his vascular surgeon services to the New England for nearly four years and loving it.
And New England patients are loving it too.
Specialist services are a vital need in regional areas; however, they are often considered too expensive, too far away or too long to wait. Something Dr Shiraev is looking to overcome.
“I look forward to it every month. The drive is relaxing, the people are lovely, whether it’s the patients or the hospital, everyone in the hospital is happy to work and they work hard.” Said Dr Shiraev.
Dr Shiraev is predominately delivering vascular surgeries, such as varicose veins, chronic wounds or blocked arteries in arms and legs, owever, there are more selective cases.
“The more urgent areas we cover are trauma, or when there’s lots of bleeding, when there’s aneurysms, when the arteries and the body get too big and they can pop, or when there’s blockages and the arteries heading to the brain, they can cause strokes.”
Dr Shiraev spends majority of his time at Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and Mater Hospitals, trading them out once a month to base out of Tamworth Hospital and the Tamara Private Hospital.
He says he didn’t understand the impact he was making, but once he did, he couldn’t stop visiting.
“Whether it’s an operation or just a consult, people would have to drive for five hours just to see me. Or if they’re coming in for an operation, they’re away from their family and friends and support network.”
“They’ve got to pay for the travel, the accommodation, some that haven’t been to Sydney in years. So, it’s much easier for me to come up and even assess them. If they need an operation, I’ve been working with Tamara and Tamworth and I’ll be able to do more and more locally, which is better for everyone.”
Dr Shiraev is the lead vascular surgeon for the extra-oxygenation and structural heart programs at RPA hospital. He is currently undertaking a research PhD at The University of Sydney and is as Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor at Notre Dame University. Dr
And he brings his high-class skills to our doorstep.
“Varicose veins we can now treat with laser surgery in Tamworth which we haven’t been able to do before. People have had to go to Sydney, and this is excellent for people to be able to have things done as gold standard instead of how we used to treat them decades ago in Tamworth.”
Now, Dr Shiraev want New Englanders to know he is available and getting in can be quicker and easier than you think.
“I’m up here every month. If anyone’s urgent I’ll always get them in next time I’m there and always happy to move things around and GPs know they can call me and get in touch.”
“Always happy to get patients seen if things are urgent.”
Seek medical help before it’s too late
One key message for New Englanders after speaking with Dr Shiraev is to seek help early and avoid unnecessary complications down the road.
He says he often sees more severe cases in regional areas, as many people don’t seek medical assistance due to cost or distance, and when they do, its because it has become urgent.
“I definitely do see people that are sicker in Tamworth, mostly because the preventative care is so hard to get access to.”
“Everyone I speak to tells me they had a GP who left or the waiting list to get into the GP is months and so because people aren’t getting access to that preventative care it means people do and tend to come in with more severe presentations.”
So, how well do you know varicose veins or other serious illnesses?
“Varicose veins are quite common. Not the most life-threatening but can really impact people’s lives. It’s not always cosmetic and having that done can actually be life-changing for them, because there are other complications varicose veins can cause.”
“One of the most common things is probably blocked arteries in the legs, which can cause pain when walking or can cause chronic wounds.”
And you no longer need to put off seeking help, with help right at home.
“These services are now at your doorstep you don’t have to go to the city, get in contact with your GP now if you can. 90 per cent of what I do is preventative. “
“A lot of people don’t come along because they’re worried that they’ll need an operation, but most of the time what I do is preventative,”
“We’re trying to prevent people needing operation so often it’s just reassurance or lifestyle or medication changes we can do to prevent bad things happening and prevent complications in the long term.”
Encouraging other specialist to consider going bush
The need for specialist services in the New England continues to grow, which is why Dr Shiraev encourages others to take a leap of faith and try something new.
“Do it. It is really rewarding. It’s a good thing for Tamworth, and it is so little for us to do but it makes such a big difference to people in Tamworth in the surrounding areas.”
Dr Shiraev is working to increase his theatre time at Tamworth Base Hospital in the new year, which would allow treatment to more local people, and spare the burden of travelling to Sydney.
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