When growing up in southern India, the expected career pathways for Sujatha Anand were in engineering or medicine.
The Obstetrics & Gynaecology (O&G) specialist chose medicine and began a journey which ultimately brought her to Mackay in the heat of a northern summer in 2019.
“There was no pressure that I was to become a doctor, but I think right from childhood, you’re brought up with that ambition,” Sujatha said.
“My parents were both teachers and I was good at my studies.
“I did my Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery in India and then we went to work in the northwest of England from 2003 until 2019.”
Though cultural expectations played a part in both her chosen profession and her medical speciality, Sujatha believed O&G provided the right blend for job fulfillment.
“I liked it because there was surgery involved,” Sujatha said.
“And once I started O&G, there was no looking back into another specialty, because it’s so exciting.
“In obstetrics, you see the final result of a happy mom and a newborn.
“With O&G we have equal opportunities to talk to patients and do surgeries, so this is perfect.
“And there is that satisfaction you get when babies come into the world.”
Sujatha met and married her husband anaesthetist Anand Natarajan in India, and he then made the initial move to England.
When she followed a few months later, she moved into her preferred field in women’s health.
“I was working in obstetrics and gynaecology for a couple of years and got into the seven-year training program when it was first introduced in England,” Sujatha said.
“I finished my training, and I was working as a consultant before moving to Australia.”
This move was also prompted by Anand.
“I followed my husband here as he wanted a better quality of life for us,” Sujatha said.
“We were overworked and underpaid.
“And the other thing was the climate.
“My mother-in-law likes to visit her only son regularly, and England was too cold for her except in the summer.
“Here, the weather is just like in India, and she can come any time.”
Though finding the transition from England to Australia easy to navigate, the change in the level of care she was able to offer was quite different.
“I’ve always worked in bigger hospitals, where they take the referrals from other hospitals, whereas in Mackay we take referrals from rural hospitals but also transfer patients to tertiary units,” she said.
“So that was initially difficult for me to get used to.”
Mackay is now home for Sujatha, Anand and their 13-year-old son. They also have an older daughter studying medicine in England who plans to move to Australia in the future.
“People are more approachable and easy-going here,” Sujatha said.
“We always say it’s more like being in India.”
Thank you Sujatha, for making Mackay home, and for the wonderful care you provide to mums and bubs in our community!
