New OAM Dr AlRubaie says he still has more work to do

It’s business as usual for our new OAM (Medal of the Order of Australia) Dr Ahmad AlRubaie, who is looking for more ways to improve the health and well being of the community.

Dr Ahmad Alrubaie is a pioneer in balloon enteroscopy surgery to diagnose and treat small bowel conditions. Picture: Matthew Vasilescu

• There is plenty of entertainment on Australia Day
• Local missionaries who flew to the outbacks for decades

IT’S business as usual for our new OAM (Medal of the Order of Australia) Dr Ahmad AlRubaie, who is looking for more ways to improve the health and well being of the community.

The 65-year-old Iraqi-born surgeon said he was greatly surprised by the Australia Day award which comes after years of volunteer work for Iraqi and Arabic communities.

Dr AlRubaie is one of the few NSW surgeons to performs double balloon enteroscopy (DBE) surgery to diagnose and treat small bowel conditions at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital.

Dr Ahmad Alrubaie outside his Condell Park surgery. Picture: Matthew Vasilescu

“It is a great surprise and means a lot to me because it acknowledges my work,” the senior consultant gastroenterologist and therapeutic endoscopist said.

“But I still have a lot of work to do and that is why I am looking at new technology.”

Dr Alrubaie and Dr Chris Meredith perform DBE at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital, which is one of only two centres in NSW which can undertake this complicated surgery.

According to the Iraqi-born surgeon, DBE is a highly specialised procedure to explore the small bowel, which is five to six metres in length, and to treat any of its pathologies.

“In all of NSW, there are only two centres which can do this surgery, the other being RPA.

“Here we average around four a week and we have performed hundreds of these surgeries over the past 12 years.”

Dr AlRubaie, who is married to Elham Kashif, has two children, Basim and Nora.

He is also performing non surgical procedures to reduce the size of the stomach, aimed at helping obese people reduce their weight.

Dr AlRubaie migrated from Baghdad in 1995, having done his Bachelor degree in Medicine from Baghdad University in 1978.

After completing his Australian Medical Council exams in 1996, he had his medical training in St George and Prince of Wales Hospitals and advanced training in gastroenterology at Westmead, Liverpool and Bankstown Hospitals. Later, he had postgraduate endoscopic training (particularly in double balloon enteroscopy) in Tokyo.

He was president of the Iraqi Australian University Graduates Forum from 2008-2017 and is

the head of the association of Iraqi academics in Australia and New Zealand.

Dr AlRubaie’s main medical practice is at 58 Gallipoli St, Bankstown and he also performs his endoscopic procedures at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital and Liverpool Day Surgery.