From India to Beaconsfield

How a golden-hearted community adopted its new GP

Dr Prashanth Reddy Gangapuram, or Dr Reddy as he is affectionately known, is a true Beaconsfielder. Never mind the fact he is originally from India. 

He exudes a warmth and generosity, a golden glow – typical of the people of Beaconsfield.  

A small town in regional Tasmania is probably not the first place people think of settling down and building a life when migrating to Australia.  

However, Dr Reddy says it was the golden hearts of the local people that helped cement Beaconsfield as his family’s second home when he bought and took over the Beaconsfield Family Medical Practice at the start of 2023. 

Dr Reddy was initially concerned that the community would have reservations about trusting a GP from a different country, especially considering the legacy left by Dr Anthony Lyall – who had diligently served the community from the practice as a solo GP for three decades before retiring.  

As it turns out, his concerns were unfounded, and the community has embraced the GP and his young family with open arms. 

“It was my dream to start my own general practice,” Dr Reddy explains.  

“From a young age, I always was very compassionate in helping people and I have an aunt who was a doctor. I was greatly inspired by her, how she was helping people around and how she can touch the heart, even with a simple call. Like how my dad used to call her when we were sick. It always inspired me.” 

When Dr Reddy first visited Beaconsfield with his father, G Nageshwar Reddy, in October 2022, his father liked the town – but he himself was “not 100% sure”.  

“The first place I went to was the Indian restaurant, Tasty Bites, because I was surprised to see there’s an Indian restaurant here,” he says.  

“The owner said only one thing to me and my father, and I made the decision on the spot.  

“He said ‘the people here, the community here, have a golden heart. You just come here. You will be looked after’.” 

Dr Reddy says he was reminded of these words once he had moved to the town and opened his practice, and decided to distribute some pamphlets to introduce himself to the community over multiple visits.  

“I went to each and every small shop nearby, and after my first visit, they already had the pamphlets on their notice boards, they already knew my name, and had already been supporting the new clinic.  

“They said ‘there’s a new doctor coming to our community, let’s support him’. And they had been distributing the pamphlets since my previous visit without me asking their help.”  

“I had tears in my eyes on that day, when I saw the love.” 

He says his feeling of responsibility to help the community doubled that day.  

“This is no longer just another community; this is my community. I was destined to come and settle in Beaconsfield.” 

While Dr Reddy was sure that helping the people of Beaconsfield was his destiny, he had never set up a practice before and needed some support.  

He reached out to rural primary health workforce agency HR+, who recommended he contact Primary Health Tasmania.  

“I can tell you that’s the best thing we have done as a clinic,” Dr Reddy says.  

“When I spoke with Maxine from Primary Health Tasmania, she was very helpful. She said ‘Doctor Reddy, you don’t worry. You look after your patients, and we’ll come and help you’.”  

Primary Health Tasmania – Tasmania’s Primary Health Network (PHN) – provided information and support in areas including accreditation, Australian Government funding programs, digital readiness work and other programs. 

“We feel like the PHN has stood as a backbone in this journey of our new medical practice,” Dr Reddy said. “And we are very thankful for that. 

“What I’ve seen in this last 12 months is that not only did Primary Health Tasmania help me to set up the clinic, but it also helps me and my staff to have continuous professional development through the workshops it runs.” 

Dr Reddy has made some changes to the original clinic, elevating it from a solo GP practice to a comprehensive healthcare hub with four full-time GPs and expanded services including pathology and allied health.  

He also recruited staff from the town’s other general practice when it closed.  

Dr Reddy says his journey to establish and manage his clinic in Beaconsfield has been made possible by the unwavering support of his family – especially his wife, Dr Sandhya – and his dedicated team, along with the assistance of Primary Health Tasmania and HR+. 

Darlene Lyall, a registered nurse, is Dr Reddy’s practice manager. Darlene’s husband Dr Anthony Lyall had owned the clinic before Dr Reddy, and worked part time until December 2023 to help Dr Reddy settle into the community.  

This collaborative effort reflects the strong bond and commitment shared by the Lyall family and Dr Reddy in providing quality healthcare services to the community. 

Darlene has some simple advice for those thinking about starting their own practice.  

“What it comes down to is you gotta love what you do,” she says.  

“Dr Reddy clearly loves what he does – and yeah, I love what I do. And I know my staff love what they do. So it’s just win, win,” she says.  

Supporting general practice

An important part of Primary Health Tasmania’s work is supporting GPs and general practice staff through a range of initiatives and programs.  

Some supports include: 

1. Education and training: Offering professional development opportunities, workshops and training programs including clinical education, leadership training, and courses on new technologies and best practices. Visit our events page for upcoming events at tasp.hn/events. 

2. Quality improvement: Supporting practices in implementing quality improvement activities such as accreditation processes and clinical audits.  

3. Digital health integration: Assisting practices to adopt and integrate digital health tools and systems such as electronic medical records and connecting them to the Tasmanian eReferral system. 

4. Networking and collaboration: Providing opportunities for collaboration among GPs, general practice staff, and other healthcare professionals. This includes forums, conferences, and collaborative projects aimed at sharing knowledge, best practices, and innovations in primary health care. 

5. Tools and resources: Developing and updating tools and resources such as Tasmanian HealthPathways 

This story features in Issue 18 of our Primary Health Matters magazine. Click here to read the rest of the issue.