September 22, 2023#WeAreNorthern
Meet Tilak Weerasiri, Consultant Gynaecologist/Obstetrician, Northern Health.
Q: Firstly, what’s your coffee order?
My usual coffee order is a standard latte, I’m not very adventurous when it comes to coffee.
Q: Why and how did you choose your specialty?
I actually fell into obstetrics. My main aim after graduation was Country General Practice which included obstetrics and anaesthetics. I went to England to get some experience in both. I did a six-month rotation in obstetrics and enjoyed it so much I kept on and specialised in it.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about your career before starting at Northern?
While I was in England, I got my first specialist qualification in obstetrics and gynaecology and when I returned the first job I got was as a registrar at PANCH, where I was the precursor of The Northern Hospital.
I did a few more senior registrar years at The Royal Women’s Hospital, The Monash Medical Centre and The Mercy Hospital while getting my Australian exam and full specialist qualifications.
In my first year as a fully accredited specialist, I accepted a consultancy at The Mercy Hospital for Women and The Austin Hospital as well as The Preston and Northcote Community Hospital. I was the gynaecologist at the Austin for about 15 years before the Mercy moved to its current site and the job became redundant.
I was still at The Mercy Hospital and moved to The Northern Hospital when PANCH became TNH and moved across to Epping.
Q: What is your favourite memory since working here?
One incident that really stands out in my memory was a young woman who was transferred from another hospital with a ruptured uterus following childbirth. The patient was quite ill when she arrived but was quickly resuscitated and I did an emergency hysterectomy. There were about five or six anaesthetists working on her, and she did very well.
When I went to see her the next morning she was tucking into a plate of steak and chips. That’s one thing about the Northern Health, in a dire emergency there is no shortage of expert assistance.
Q: How do you relax after a long shift?
I am a prolific reader, mostly novels and mainly cosy crime. I walk or swim for exercise and spend a fair bit of time with family. With four kids (now all adults) and five grandkids, there is never a dull moment.
Q: Where is a favourite place you’ve travelled and why?
My favourite travel destination is actually my native land, Sri Lanka, a really lovely spot to visit with loft of natural beauty and very nice people. Well worth a visit.
