Five Strong: Medical Centre expands its team

Dr AnushaWijesooriya, Dr Della Yarnold, Dr Jey, Dr Baseerat Hashim, and Dr Mali Ranathunga

09th Jun 2026

Access to healthcare in Guyra has received a significant boost with the arrival of three new doctors, bringing the number of general practitioners at Guyra Medical Centre to five.
The new recruits join long-serving GP Dr Jey and recent recruit Dr Della, strengthening medical services for the district and helping meet growing demand across both the medical centre, and Guyra MPS as well as the Kolora aged care facility.
Dr Jey and his wife Indrani have led the practice since July 2009 and have overseen a period of growth and expansion. The medical centre originally operated from Bradley Street before relocating to its current site at Guyra Hospital in 2013. Further upgrades completed in 2017 have ensured the facility is well equipped to accommodate the expanded medical team.
Practice Manager Indrani Jeyakumar said securing doctors for rural communities is never easy, involving extensive paperwork and significant commitments from doctors and their families.
“We are very fortunate to have attracted three highly experienced doctors and are pleased they have committed to staying long term,” Indrani said. “These doctors had opportunities to work anywhere in Australia, but they chose Guyra.”
Among the new arrivals is Dr AnushaWijesooriya, who recently moved to Australia with her family after spending 20 years working in Sri Lanka. Having worked in emergency medicine, as a thoracic surgeon and operating a skin clinic, she brings a wealth of experience to the role.
She said she was looking forward to treating a wide variety of patients and embracing new opportunities in Australia. Her areas of interest include acute illnesses and chronic disease management.
Dr Mali Ranathunga arrived in Australia three months ago and recently started seeing patients in Guyra. Previously a GP in Sri Lanka for eight years, she moved with her husband and daughter to Guyra after hearing positive stories about the community from Indrani.
Dr Mali has a special interest in maternal and child health and women’s health.
“I worked very hard to come here and it has been an amazing experience so far,” she said.
“The patients are so friendly and have been very patient while I learn the Australian healthcare system.”
Dr Baseerat Hashim, who arrived from Adelaide last week with her two children, said she was excited to join the community. She is originally from Pakistan and trained as an ophthalmologist prior to becoming a GP. Coming from a small town herself she said she appreciated the opportunity to build relationships with patients, and has a strong interest in women’s health.
“In a smaller community you can get to know people and connect with them more,” she said. “I am excited be here and serve the community.”
The doctors were unanimous in praising Indrani for helping make their transition as smooth as possible.
From finding housing and furniture to checking that hot water systems were working and helping families settle into the community, they said she had gone above and beyond to support them.
“She organised everything and made it easy for us to make the move,” they said.
Rounding out the team is Dr Della Yarnold who has been working in Guyra since October 2025 as part of the Remote Vocational Training Scheme, which trains GP’s for country areas. Originally from Glen Innes she studied medicine in Newcastle and has been working as a doctor since 2007. She says that her interests are ‘everything and everyone’.
“I just love being a doctor - there is lot of really interesting medicine in rural areas and you get a lot of diversity,” she said.
“The people in Guyra have been really welcoming and the staff are great – it’s the best place that I have worked.”
Dr Della is travelling down from Glen Innes at the moment, but is hoping to relocate closer to Guyra in the near future.
The new arrivals will be a big relief for Dr Jey, who has been working long hours serving the Guyra community for 18 years. The expanded team will allow him to focus more on supervision and mentoring while continuing to develop specialist services. He has recently upgraded his qualifications, enabling more patients to access skin checks and treatment locally rather than travelling elsewhere.
The new doctors have also been impressed by the quality of facilities available in Guyra, describing them as superior to those found in many larger centres.
With plenty of demand from patients at the medical centre, the expanded team is now opening its books to new patients and encouraging anyone who has previously been on a waiting list to get in touch.
Having successfully brought three new doctors to Guyra, the team is now hoping the community will support them as they settle into their new roles and become part of the town’s future.

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Five Strong: Medical Centre expands its team

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