Western Sydney’s centre of excellence

Meet the team from Blacktown and Mount Druitt hospitals’ gastroenterology department, who provide services in gastroenterology and liver disease to adult patients.

These services include outpatient services in liver clinics, general gastroenterology clinics, inflammatory bowel disease clinics, as well as providing consultative advice to the hospital’s emergency department and endoscopy services and inpatient service to patients admitted under Gastroenterology.

Blacktown and Mount Druitt hospitals’ gastroenterology department head Dr Veronica Chohan said the team’s nine dedicated professionals worked closely with their colleagues at Westmead Hospital.

“Gastroenterology is the study of diseases or complications with the digestive tract,” she said.

“Gastroenterologists primarily treat patients who have problems with their digestive tract – for example, cancers, anaemias, jaundice, acute and chronic liver disease, disorders of the pancreas and complications of gallstone and biliary disease.

“Our department is working towards developing a stand-alone Centre of Excellence in all areas of gastroenterology, built around whole-of-life patient-centred care – for example, colonoscopy, endoscopy, hepatology, inflammatory bowel disease, acute and chronic digestive illnesses.

“I have been responsible for medical student and junior doctor education and have developed a supervisor program for the University of Western Sydney medical students in the department.

“My team strives for excellence by working efficiently, providing a comprehensive service which ultimately enables us to achieve the best patient outcomes.”

The Gastroenterology Department of Blacktown Hospital comprises of:

*   Dr Veronica Chohan – Head of Department

*   Professor Golo Ahlensteil – University of Western Sydney, Professor of Medicine – Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist

*   Dr Farzan Bahin – Gastroenterologist and Interventional Endoscopist

*   Dr Ragu Gill – Gastroenterologist and Interventional Endoscopist

*   Dr Viraj Kariyawasam – Gastroenterologist and IBD specialist

*   Dr Raymond Kwok – Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist

*   Dr David Ruppin – Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist

*   Dr Roslyn Vongsuvanh – Gastroenterologist and Staff Specialist Hepatologist

*   Dr Pranavan Yoganathan – General Gastroenterologist and Gastrointestinal Endoscopist