The Sinhas’ family friendly practice is rewarded for its proactive approach to patient care
Strathfield Plaza Family Medical Practice, owned by one of the Sydney Indian community’s well-established families, the Sinhas, has won top honours at the recent Inner West Business Awards.
With over 9,000 nominations in various categories, the Strathfield-based medical practice took home two trophies. While the silver trophy was achieved in the Best Health Improvement Services Category, they went a step further with a Gold Trophy for Strathfield Business of the Year.
Speaking to Indian Link, proud winner Dr Prabhat Sinha acknowledged that it was on the suggestion of some of his patients and his daughter Pallavi, that they decided to enter their medical practice in the Inner West Business Awards for the first time.
“It has been a very rewarding celebration of a journey taken to reach this pinnacle,” Dr Sinha said after the awards night.
“Indeed it was a very memorable night for us and we feel privileged and deeply humbled to have been bestowed this honour. This is a win for anyone who migrates to Australia, works hard and follows their dreams with passion”.
The awards also reflect the patients’ regard for the doctors at the practice, he added.
Strathfield Plaza Family Medical Practice was launched in 1996 and has now been providing patient care for 18 years.
Drawing on his 37 years of experience as a medical practitioner, Dr Sinha found location to be a key factor.
“There was much room for expansion at Strathfield Plaza, luckily for us. There is access for wheelchair-bound and handicapped patients, so we had the flexibility to expand the medical practice and add more doctors to cater for the needs of the patients”.
The Strathfield Plaza Family Medical Practice has several doctors including a female doctor.
Dr Sinha said, “I have been fortunate to have an excellent team work with me and we are proud about the culture of the practice. It is a very friendly family medical practice where the doctors believe in proactive and preventative care. We like to give extra care and time to the patients. The practice has several multicultural staff members as well, who are all trained to be very courteous and compassionate while being professional in their dealings with the patients”.
The family spirit is clearly evidenced as Dr Sinha’s wife and children work with him.
“It has been good to have my son Dr Piyush Sinha join the practice,” Dr Sinha said. “He started in 2002, initially part-time, but as demand for him increased, making him a very busy General Practitioner, he took on a full time role.”
“My wife Neena has been the Practice Manager right from the beginning and has been looking after the various aspects of the practice including training of the staff. She has been the backbone of the medical practice. Over the years, we have had other allied health service professionals working at the practice like a podiatrist, psychologist and dietician,” Dr Sinha detailed.
“My daughter Pallavi, besides being a lawyer, is also a qualified counsellor and mediator, and provides counselling services at the practice by appointment”.
Dr Sinha added, “We have a very multicultural client base with patients from diverse backgrounds like Anglo-Saxons, Indian sub-continentals, Chinese, Koreans and Europeans. The patient mix at our medical practice is a combination of elderly patients and young families. They have the option to see the doctor of their choice. In fact, I have very old patients, coming from the time I started general practice, and we are now seeing third generation patients. Some of my old patients, who saw Piyush as a child visiting my surgery during its humble beginnings, are now seeing him as a doctor. It gives me great pride to pass the baton on to my son”.
And what about the future?
“Well, my vision is to provide more facilities and professional services by employing more medical and para-medical personnel under one roof, in bigger premises,” Dr Sinha revealed.
“Our practice philosophy is summarised by key terms ‘service’, ‘attitude’, ‘empathy’ and ‘professionalism’”, he finished proudly.