Bligh Park Surgery's Dr Kevin Tan is retiring after 30 years

Dr Tan said he will head back to his home country of Malaysia in the new year, where he will spend time with his family in Penang.

He is also looking forward to using his skills as a GP to do voluntary work at a hospice and with homeless people.

“I cannot get away from helping others,” Dr Tan told the Gazette.

“Especially with my knowledge and experience, it would be a waste if I just retired and didn’t continue to make use of my skills!”

Dr Tan registered as a health practitioner in Kuala Lumpur in 1978, then practised for eight years in Singapore. He headed to Bligh Park three decades ago to open-up his own practice, and watched the suburb move from a quiet area to a built-up town.

When he first came to Bligh Park it was a brand new suburb, having opened in 1985 as a joint-venture between Hawkesbury Council and the NSW Department of Housing. Census data shows the suburb grew rapidly during the late 1980s and early 1990s until it was built-out, growing to a population of 6364 residents in 2016.

“Bligh Park was just beginning to develop when I arrived, and there were not so many houses. Now, there are houses everywhere!” Dr Tan said.

“There’s also a lot of traffic, cars and traffic jams, but this is a sign of progress - there were less people back then.”

Dr Tan said his patients in Bligh Park present with comparable health problems to those in Singapore and Malaysia, though he said drug and alcohol-related problems seemed more prevalent here.

He said Australia’s health system for general practice is far superior to those in Singapore and Malaysia.

“We’ve got a lot of government support now and allied health services, for example physiotherapy, psychologies and occupational therapies are all well supported,” he said.

“Medicine has progressed so much during my time in Bligh Park, and we’re beginning to recognise problems that in the past we have not focussed as much on, including heart disease and lung disease. The treatment is so much better now, and we’re recognising problems earlier.

“We’re also more alert to diabetes, and we pick it up more with tests. There are also more cases of diabetes in general, because of diet and obesity.”

Dr Tan said he’s also noticed a rise in patients presenting with depression, anxiety and other psychological problems, “maybe because there’s more stress in life nowadays”.

He has also noticed an upswing in the number of people looking up their symptoms online and ‘self diagnosing’, the results of which can often be misguided.

“We rectify their misunderstandings. But online still provides a good source of information - it encourages a lot of people to come and get attention which is a good thing, and I would recommend always to seek medical advice,” he said.

In Dr Tan’s experience, women are more likely than men to see their GP when they have a niggling concern.

“Women are more sensitive to their symptoms, and they see a doctor earlier. Some men are pressurised or encouraged by their wife to come along as well! The public is better informed now about health issues, because of mass media and social media, which is good,” he said.

Dr Tan said if he could give the people of Bligh Park and the Hawkesbury one piece of health advice, it would be to see their GP yearly - especially if they’re reaching a mature age.

“Depending on their age, they should at at least once a year have a general checkup and a blood test. There are a lot of screening things that should be picked-up early and they should make sure they get them tested,” he said.

Dr Tan said he wanted to thank all his patients - past and present - for their support and kindness. He said he will miss them, and be thinking of them, and wished them all a Merry Christmas and ‘good health’.

“My patients have been wonderful. I didn’t realise they would feel so sad about me leaving!” he said.

“I was touched by their good wishes and I’ve been getting a lot of gifts as well. There has been a lot of hugging, and tears, too. I didn’t expect it!

“I have been here so many years and had long relationships with many of my patients. I saw some of them as babies and now they are bringing their own babies to see me! I feel very sad about leaving this place, and the very close relationships with these patients.

“But I have reached the age of 65, and I’m not as strong and I don’t have the same stamina and I feel a bit burnt out, so it’s time to take a break before it’s too late - look after my own health, and enjoy life a bit.”

Dr Tan’s surgery will be closed over the Christmas and New Year period, and will re-open in 2018 with a new doctor.

“To me it’s so important that my patients have continuing care. Dr Qurashi will take over from the first week of February - he seems like a very nice and caring man and I think he will do well and the patients will relate to him well,” Dr Tan said.