Dr Lai Leong models himself on the family doctor of his childhood, providing old-fashioned, solo general practice care for his patients. He’s served the Fairfield community for more than 40 years.
Find out what he loves so much about being a GP.
How long have you been a GP and how long have you been practising in the Fairfield LGA?
I’ve been in this area for a long, long time – approximately 44 years.
When/why did you decide you wanted to become a GP?
It just happened by chance. I didn’t choose to become a GP, I was picked to be a GP. I was born and studied in South Africa at the time of apartheid when, as Asians of Chinese origin, we were only allowed two places at medical school. I was doing a science degree but the first year group doing medicine were doing so badly that after my first year they came to our science class and chose the top lot. That’s how I got into medicine. So, that year instead of two Asians they allowed five Asians to study medicine. They allowed 20 students from Indian backgrounds but the rest had to be white.
I finished my internship in South Africa. It was a very good education and I’m very thankful to South Africa for that because I was at the University of the Witwatersrand, a university in Johannesburg which is well recognised all over the world. That’s the university that was running the famous Baragwanath Hospital, that serviced Soweto, the main black ghetto where the riots were happening to free South Africa from apartheid in the 1970s. A lot of my training was in Baragwanath Hospital and I was right amongst the riots at that time. They were very interesting times.
As soon as I finished my medical degree I came out to Australia, straight into the Fairfield area and I’ve been here ever since. It’s been a fantastic life here.
What do you love most about being a GP/what part of the job gives you the most satisfaction?
It is a very, very satisfying job. I’m so blessed to be in this position.
I’ve always fashioned myself on the general practitioner that used to look after my family back home – it’s an old-fashioned, solo general practice. I get to know all my patients and my patients treat me so well, in fact they treat me too well and I’m being fed every day! My Italian patients are very generous, my Vietnamese patients give me noodles every day and my Eastern European patients give me the most wonderful cakes. Now the Middle Eastern group who are in this area are introducing me to their culinary delights.
The best part of being a GP is being part of the family. I am part of their life and their family and it’s a wonderful thing to see people growing up, having their kids and their kids having kids. I’ve seen four generations of kids growing up. I’ve got my patients who have graduated in medicine who are now specialists, who are now lecturing me! It’s a wonderful, wonderful life.
Of course, there are always challenges in being a GP – you’ve got the business side of it and the academic side of it. I’ve always loved learning and with the invention of the internet it’s been so easy to learn new things. I’ve been able to see change – where things were all paper based, now they are all electronic based.
There are also the sad parts. I’ve seen my patients grow old and pass away and sometimes driving in you reflect or you sit at home and reflect on it.
But all and all it’s been happiness rather than sadness.
I can retire anytime now but I choose even at the time of COVID-19 to continue because I feel that I’m needed, my patients say I mustn’t leave and that’s a wonderful feeling. With me it’s a 24-hour, seven days a week commitment. The GPs from my generation did everything, we still do everything, so people will pass away in the middle of the night and the family will call us and we will be there at 2 o’clock in the morning to issue the certificate and to be there with the family because we’ve known them for so long.
I do it not because I have to but because I enjoy it, it’s not so much work, it’s my life.
What is the most important thing you/your practice contributes to this community?
Preventative medicine, being there for my patients and saving lives which is so rewarding and keeps us going in our field. It’s always fantastic when you are able to pick up something to keep a patient from something bad happening to them. That’s the biggest thing I can offer to my patients.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
The time that I do have, I’m very much into sport. Walking, jogging, cycling. I used to be a keen golfer until I injured myself. I used to play squash regularly with a group of doctors from this area and that was fantastic because there was a lot of mixing between the GPs and that formed a strong bond between us. A lot have retired. I’m one of the last of that group that is continuing. Just basically looking after myself and spending time with the grandchildren.
Tell me about your ideal day…
The ideal days and non-ideal days can often blur into one.
The ideal day would be a day where you walk in and things just go smoothly – appointments go smoothly … the electronics are working.
We all love those days when we can sit back and have a cup of tea and have a yarn but the most rewarding can be those days that are just haphazard and when night time comes and you reflect you think ‘yes, I have done well’.
The other day I walked in and there was a myocardial infarction going on and the next minute a police officer walked in because someone had passed away. It was a mess, everything was going haywire. When things settled down I thought ‘this was a good day because I was of service again to the community’. The myocardial infarction was well handled with a good result for the patient and the waiting room quickly settled down and everyone was appreciative.
In a way, sometimes the day that was most busy turns out to be one of the best days when you reflect on it.
What do you love most about Fairfield LGA?
It is such an interesting area, we have people from so many backgrounds, it’s so wonderful to see them do well. They come here absolutely traumatised from all different parts of the world and become wonderful citizens of Australia. It’s so nice to be part of Fairfield.
What advice do you give your patients about maintaining good health?
Number one – stay away from me as much as possible stay away from our tablets! But of course, when you need to come to us and take tablets you should.
It’s the simple things – exercise, eat well, get fresh air and sunshine, and a good sleep. Those are the things I advise them to do and when they do that, we get fantastic results. And, of course taking care of your mental health is important. Mental health is such a big issue with our immigrant population because they are under so much pressure.