New Broadbeach medical centre opened in Oasis Shopping Centre by Dr Ali Akbar Zebarjad

After more than a decade working at hospitals across Australia Dr Ali Akbar Zebarjad has settled on a central location for his first medical practice.

AFTER more than a decade working at hospitals across Australia Dr Ali Akbar Zebarjad has settled on Broadbeach for the location of his first medical practice.

Iran-born Dr Zebarjad, who came to Australia in 2007 to work in Tasmania after a stint in the UK, has founded the Oasis Medical Centre Gold Coast on level one of the Oasis Shopping Centre.

His aim is to build the practice to nine doctors catering for 400 patients a day. The centre is the only one in the Oasis that bulk bills.

“I live in Broadbeach and reckon it’s the best place on Earth,” he said.

Receptionist Fynn Collins at the Oasis Medical Centre GC. Picture: Lawrence Pinder

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“After years of working for other people I thought why not start one on my own? I want to shape it rather than someone else.”

His first job at Northwest Tasmania’s Mersey Hospital in 2007 was an introduction to the intersection of politics and health in Australia. He started shortly before it was taken over by John Howard before the 2007 federal election. The hospital was, until 2017, the only federally-run hospital in Australia.

After two years he worked in Perth for one year followed by stints in Bendigo and Melbourne and then three years of locum work in Queensland and NSW. His job prior to starting his own practice was at the Southport Medical Metro Centre.

The new Oasis Medical Centre Gold Coast centre has a range of services, including the Molemax machine, called the “best equipment to diagnose skin cancer”.

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Dr Zebarjad intends to draw from his extensive experience as a GP and working in emergency departments to run what he calls a “state-of-the-art” medical centre.

Oasis’ services run the gamut of a family practice, including men’s health, skin cancer checks, weight loss and diabetes management, women’s health, travel vaccinations and children’s immunisations.

Dr Zebarjad has invested significantly in state-of-the-art equipment such as the $43,000 Molemax machine.

“That is the best equipment to diagnose skin cancer,” he said.

In the future he wants to purchase high-intensity ultrasound equipment. This is a relatively new cosmetic treatment for skin tightening that some consider a non-invasive and painless replacement for face lifts. Dr Zebarjad, currently the practice’s sole doctor, has already found his services required for medical emergencies in the centre. There have been two since he started, including a woman who collapsed near his practice on level one.

He is confident the practice will continue to grow and find a place in Broadbeach.

“Visitors are happy with having a new medical centre here. Everyone loves the design,” he said.