What began as a clinical training placement in Mackay for Dr Charuka Dharmaratne has evolved into so much more; it’s a place to build his career, raise his family and find the balance and satisfaction he longed for.
Charuka arrived in Mackay in 2019 as a registrar at Mackay Base Hospital, part of a mandatory overseas training component for physicians in Sri Lanka.
“Mackay has been a very popular training centre for our program – 28 Sri Lankan registrars have come through here,” he said.
“We arrive already with solid physician training from Sri Lanka and the experience here overseas helps us become better specialists, up to international standards.”
He was among the first registrars to treat Mackay’s earliest COVID-19 patients, before returning to Sri Lanka in 2021 to complete his board certification as a consultant physician.
After a brief stint back home, he reapplied through the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and returned to Mackay as a senior registrar and was soon offered a Staff Specialist position. He has been part of the General Medicine team at Mackay Base Hospital for the past 18 months.
It was one of the busiest departments in the hospital, caring for patients with a wide range of complex conditions, he said.
“We see everything – strokes, infections, diabetes, cancer, geriatric patients, respiratory and gastrointestinal cases,” Charuka said.
“Often patients come to us first and then we refer them on for specialist care if needed after diagnosis.”
With over 11 years of physician training and extensive experience in resource-limited hospitals in Sri Lanka, Charuka has adapted quickly to the climate and complexities of the Australian health system.
“The disease patterns in North Queensland are actually quite similar to Sri Lanka – especially infectious diseases – but here we see more complexity and work closely with multidisciplinary teams,” he said.
“That’s one of the most rewarding aspects of medicine here – the teamwork with nurses, allied health and colleagues.”
Charuka could have pursued work in the NHS and in Scotland, but he chose Mackay for the climate and work-life balance.
“Honestly, we like the calm here,” he said.
“The cities are very busy, traffic is terrible, and the cold weather doesn’t suit us; Mackay is peaceful, good for kids, and the work-life balance is so much better.
“That was one of the main reasons I left Sri Lanka – there you might work until midnight and be away from your family for weeks at a time. Here I get to come home to my wife and children each day.”
He has settled comfortably into the Mackay community, where his 13-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter are thriving at school. His family enjoys the region’s multiculturalism and sense of belonging.
“We haven’t felt any discrimination – everyone has been welcoming. Mackay is a very friendly place.”
Medicine runs deep in Charuka’s family. His late grandfather was a doctor and his uncle a general surgeon. His mother, who once dreamed of becoming a doctor herself, was his greatest influence.
“She was the driving force behind my career,” he said.
“She pushed me to study hard and supported me through medical college. My wife has been just as supportive, especially during the long years of training.”
Charuka grew up in Galle in southwest Sri Lanka, attending the prominent Buddhist school Mahinda College before studying medicine at the University of Colombo. This reinforced the values of hard work and the principles of Buddhist ethics for patient care and living.
“Buddhism teaches calmness and I think that helps in medicine also. If a patient is agitated, staying calm can bring them into collaboration.
“That calmness and teamwork are very important,” he said.
In addition to clinical care, Charuka enjoys teaching and research. As an Adjunct Senior Lecturer with James Cook University, he regularly teaches medical students, interns and registrars. His research interests have included anaphylaxis as well as the growing field of geriatric medicine.
“The ageing population is a big issue here – far more so than in Sri Lanka, where families traditionally care for elderly parents at home. Here we see long waiting lists for nursing homes, and it can be heartbreaking.”
Despite missing his parents and sister in Sri Lanka, Charuka feels at home in Australia. He looks forward to welcoming his family to Mackay in December.
“I’m very grateful to Mackay HHS for the opportunities I’ve had,” he said.
“This is the right place for my family and for me as a doctor. It’s always wonderful to see patients go home after weeks or months of hard work from the whole multi-disciplinary team.
“You don’t get that same feeling fixing a computer do you? That feeling is really what makes this job so rewarding.”