Shaking up health talks

FOR some people, check-ups with a GP are few and far between, but a local doctor is making it easier to tackle health issues, with informal annual events.

Bacchus Marsh’s Dr Ravin Sadhai has MCed the ‘Pub Clinic’ since 2008, a yearly session to discuss men’s health issues, which branched out to the ‘Ladies Lounge’ concept starting last year.

Dr Sadhai said the Pub Clinic concept arose upon looking into the medical records of patients’ husbands who’d passed away.

“There were men under 50 who’d had sudden events. I looked into their medical records, and they hadn’t been in to see their GPs at all, unless it was stitching or vaccinations, that sort of thing,” he said.

“A lot of these blokes with high-risk conditions weren’t coming in to get check-ups. So, I thought instead of trying to get them in for a bit of health messaging at their GP, why not take it to the people.

“And what better place for some blokes than the pub?”

Dr Sadhai said the more informal setting puts people at ease, with entry free and a free drink and nibbles supplied.

“I try and keep it fresh, because a lot of blokes come along who’ve come along before. This year on 20 March we discussed diabetes at the Pub Clinic, and we always try to talk about mental health too,” he said.

“At the Ladies Lounge on 1 March we talked about pelvic floor and pelvic health, and for the last one we talked about breast cancer. We had a breast surgeon and a breast care surgeon in.

“We’d like to do more of them in the future. The speakers and everyone involved are volunteers, no-one gets paid.

“The payment for the food and some of the beverages is all done through local community sponsors – thank you to the Bacchus Marsh Community Bank Branch, Rotary, Shane Cook Homes, and Lake Imaging for helping us make this happen.”

Events have also run in Ballarat, Trentham, and Colac, and with “a bit of traction” Dr Sadhai hopes to run another session in Ballarat and Geelong.

For more information on the events, visit ‘The Pub Clinic’ and ‘The Ladies Lounge’ Facebook pages.