What Obstetricians Need to Know About Rural Australia: Insights from Dr Kaushiki

In this episode of BluePrint MedTalks, our co-founder Michael Fernandes sits down with Dr. Kaushiki, a highly respected fertility specialist, obstetrician and gynaecologist with more than 27 years of experience across India, the UK and Australia. Dr. Kaushiki opens up about her journey into the Australian healthcare system and  discovering the vastness, complexity and cultural diversity of rural and remote practice. She shares: How training in India, the UK and Australia shaped her into a more grounded clinician and human being. Why she still treats private patients the way she treated NHS patients, and how that decision helps her avoid “grey areas” and always act in the patient’s best interests. What shocked her about moving into rural and remote Australia, being the only specialist on call, referring patients to tertiary centres hours away, and learning to think “out of the box” when resources are limited. How working with Aboriginal communities taught her that patient care is never just clinical, and why truly holistic care has to include mental health, community context and culture. The realities of rural obstetrics: doing the hands-on work yourself, supporting GP obstetricians, and carrying the responsibility of being first, second and third on call. Practical advice for obstetricians considering their first locum in Australia, from the questions you must ask about workload and support, to how to integrate quickly into a new team. How she looks after her own wellbeing on the road, including quarantine stories, body-weight training, painting, and why having a kitchen and a plan for movement really matters. Why recurrent IVF failure is rarely “your fault”, what patients often misunderstand about it, and how a more targeted, customised approach can change outcomes. If you’re curious about what modern obstetrics and fertility care really look like across three healthcare systems and what that means for patients in Australia, this is an episode you won’t want to miss. Contact us: https://bit.ly/BPMT-Podcast