18 April 2018

Whanganui District Health Board (WDHB) has appointed two permanent full-time ophthalmologists – Dr Arvind Gupta who took up his role in mid-March, and Dr Brenda Mulenga who is expected to arrive from the UK within the next two months.

WDHB chief medical officer Frank Rawlinson says given that DHBs throughout New Zealand are struggling to appoint ophthalmologists, he’s delighted that Whanganui will soon have a fully staffed Ophthalmology Service.

“There’s huge demand for ophthalmologists worldwide so I think Whanganui and the WDHB should celebrate that Dr Gupta and Dr Mulenga have chosen to live and work here,” Dr Rawlinson says.

Dr Gupta says he and his family are delighted to have the opportunity to move to Whanganui.

“I’d heard this is a very nice place to raise a family,” Dr Gupta says. “We have two young children who are excited to experience their first New Zealand winter. “We’ve come from Singapore where it is hot all year round. We’re looking forward to experiencing four different seasons.”

Dr Gupta says one of his first priorities is to reduce the time that Whanganui patients wait for their first consultation. He’s hoping to do the same for MidCentral DHB where he and Dr Mulenga will both work one day a week to widen their professional scope.