Shepparton Women's Health Centre

08/02/2026

Shepparton Women’s Health Centre welcomes DR LUBNA YASSIN, GP Registrar, who has started working with us today 9th February, 4 days per week – Monday to Thursday.

Lubna is a friendly and dedicated GP Registrar training under the RACGP North East AGPT Program.

Lubna completed her Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) in Sudan and holds General Registration with AHPRA since 2019.

With over six years’ experience in the Australian healthcare system, she has worked across a range of teaching hospitals in Melbourne and regional Victoria.

She is passionate about providing high-quality, patient-centred care, using an evidence-based and holistic approach, and values building strong, trusting relationships with her patients. She works closely with multidisciplinary teams to support the health and wellbeing of individuals and families.

Outside the clinic, she enjoys walking and spending quality time with her young family.

To make an appointment with Dr Yassin, please call 0358213555 or book online at: https://www.hotdoc.com.au/medical-centres/shepparton-VIC-3630/shepparton-women-s-health-centre/doctors/dr-lubna-yassin-gp-registrar

08/02/2026

🎉 CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF SHEPPARTON WOMEN'S HEALTH CENTRE 🎉

On 8th February, we proudly celebrate 10 years since opening our doors on 8th February 2016.

The vision for Shepparton Women’s Health Centre began with Dr Margreet Stegeman, who dreamed of creating a local, welcoming space offering holistic care for women and their families — all under one roof. Inspired by the Jean Hailes Foundation in Melbourne, and its strong focus on education and community, that vision quickly took shape.

When the beautiful UNA House became available in 2014, the opportunity was too special to miss. With the help of local architect James Seymour, the building’s heritage and charm were carefully preserved while being transformed into the modern, purpose-built health centre you see today. Our logo — designed by Sam Muller and inspired by a sculpture by Ralph Muller — symbolises a seed blooming into a flower, reflecting growth, care, and new beginnings.

Over the past decade, we’ve seen practitioners and staff come and go, each playing an important role in shaping who we are today. We’ve grown through renovations, changing spaces, and the privilege of hosting 10 women’s health information events, including our most recent daytime session last year.

Today, we’re proud to be home to an amazing team of health practitioners — including Gynaecologists, General Practitioners (who also see men), Paediatricians, a women’s health Physiotherapist, and a Psychologist (who also works with men) — all working together to care for local women, men, and families.

To our patients, past and present staff and practitioners, and our wider community — thank you for being part of our journey. We couldn’t have done it without you, and we look forward to many more years of care, connection, and women’s health 💐

Here’s to 10 years — and to what’s still to come.

We hope you enjoy these photos — snapshots of past and present staff and practitioners, special events, milestones, renovations, and fundraising efforts that have helped shape our journey over the last 10 years.

08/01/2026

The New Year is here, so time to fill your diary with things to do. VALENTINE’S LIGHT LUNCH
SUNDAY 15th February
Tickets $65 now available from:
Dot - Ph 0439 033 126
Tables of ten or individual tickets.
All Proceeds to GV HEALTH FOUNDATION

08/01/2026

Great work Deb and team!!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17cyHEFwYj/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Oxygen deprivation during labour, known as fetal asphyxia, is rare but devastating. It can lead to stillbirth, cerebral palsy and lifelong disability.

Mercy Health Obstetrician Gynaecologist Dr Deb Karmakar, and the research team from Mercy Health and University of Melbourne, are determined to change that.

They have built a cloud-based AI algorithm that detects oxygen deprivation in real time, analysing an astonishing 2 billion data points from 35,000 patients. The results? An incredible 90% sensitivity in predicting fetal distress, compared to 35% using traditional methods.

This breakthrough could save lives and reduce unnecessary interventions, offering safer, more personalised care for mothers and babies.

Read more about this research on our website, where you can also find the full Research Report: https://bit.ly/3N2MUU2

23/12/2025

23/12/2025

🥳 Congratulations to our very lucky winner of the huge Christmas hamper raffle in support of MND Victoria!

🤗 Thank you to everyone who purchased tickets and supported this great cause.

🤩 Because of your generosity, we raised a fantastic $967.70.

30/11/2025

✨ TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH ✨

✨ Our GPs are providing bulk-billed IUD & contraceptive implant insertions to make contraception more accessible for everyone.

✨ Simple. Effective. Long-lasting.

✨ For your comfort, we offer local anaesthetic and the green whistle (Penthrox) as pain-relief options during your procedure.

✨ Appointments available — call 03 5821 3555 or book online https://www.hotdoc.com.au/medical-centres/shepparton-VIC-3630/shepparton-women-s-health-centre/doctors

05/11/2025

From 1st November, the government has introduced new bulk billing incentives and are promoting a message that GPs will be “returning to bulk billing”. Unfortunately, for most GP clinics this is not a feasible option and Shepparton Women’s Health Centre (SWHC) is no different. We want to explain why.

At SWHC we pride ourselves on having great GPs. We don’t believe in the six minute medicine model. Our experienced GPs want to have the time to really listen and talk through issues with their patients, without feeling rushed. We aim to offer safe, personalised and thorough care for the huge range of minor to complex medical conditions that our patients present with.

We agree that quality medical care should be affordable for every person. We dream of the day that the government increases Medicare rebates to fully reimburse patients for such care. However, they have failed to do this for over 30 years and these new bulk billing incentives are also a long way from adequate. They reward fast, high turnover medicine. They do not cover the true costs of running a professional, high quality medical clinic.

Just to illustrate the issue ..… accepting these changes would mean SWHC receives approximately $22 less for every standard 15 minute GP appointment. Across five GP consulting rooms, this could reduce our revenue by $3,000 - $4,000 a day. We are a small, locally owned business and simply cannot cover our overhead costs with cuts as big as this. Our clinic would be unsustainable if we opted to become universally bulk billing.

We strongly encourage our patients to talk to our local federal member, about this issue and push for him and his colleagues to fight for increased Medicare rebates for all patients, without the bulk billing requirement.

We want to thank our patients for your loyalty and for continuing to trust us with your health and wellbeing. Your support means Shepparton keeps quality, independent general practice alive.

30/10/2025

29/10/2025

What a fantastic achievement!! Congratulations Dr Deb Karmakar 👏

Mercy Health is proud to celebrate Dr Deb Karmakar’s achievement in being awarded the prestigious Norman Beischer Medical Research Foundation 3-year Fellowship (2026–2028).

The Fellowship, valued at $660,000, will support Deb’s pioneering work in maternal health — developing and testing REALM™ (Real-time Evaluation and Alerting using Longitudinal Modelling), an AI-enabled fetal monitoring decision support tool. The project aims to improve perinatal outcomes by enabling earlier detection of fetal distress and guiding safer, faster decision-making during childbirth.

Deb’s work is co-designed and continues to engage with clinicians, parents and First Nations stakeholder representatives, ensuring culturally safe and clinically grounded innovation

At Mercy Health, we believe research is the engine that drives compassionate, evidence-based care. We’re proud to support brilliant minds like Deb’s as we work together to improve outcomes for women, babies and families.

“The future of AI-driven med-tech and human-centred research is bright.” – Dr Deb Karmakar

Congratulations Deb!
Read more here: https://nbmrf.org.au/dr-deb-karmakar-2/

06/10/2025

What an incredible day it was for our 10TH WOMEN’S HEALTH INFORMATION event! We are overwhelmed with gratitude and would like to take a moment to acknowledge all those who made this event possible.

First, a heartfelt thank you to our amazing speakers:

🎤 Michelle Parish and Melissa Gilmour, the dedicated Breast Care Nurses from GV Health
🎤 Dr. Alba Sanderson, General Practitioner at Shepparton Women’s Health Centre
🎤 Dr. Deb Karmakar, Gynaecologist at Shepparton Women’s Health Centre
🎤 Dr. Margreet Stegeman, Gynaecologist at Shepparton Women’s Health Centre (who also donated the beautiful native flowers).

A huge thank you to Dr. Ruwangi Udayasiri, for skillfully guiding us through the event. Your humour and corny jokes truly kept us entertained!

We would like to express our gratitude to the Soroptimist International of Shepparton Inc for their delicious afternoon tea, which has become a hallmark of our events.

Thank you to Kialla Golf Club Inc. for being the perfect venue for our event. The stunning surroundings added to the magic of the day, making it truly unforgettable.

We are extremely grateful to Simone Gale, the Treasurer of the Kialla Golf Club Inc., for her dedication and for giving up her weekend to ensure everything was perfect at the venue. Your hard work truly made a difference.

We are also deeply appreciative of the businesses that generously donated fabulous prizes. Your support means the world to us!

🌸 Fernwood Shepparton
🌸 TerryWhite Chemmart Shepparton
🌸 Alison Sinclair (Psychologist)
🌸 GV Sportscare - Physio & Podiatry
🌸 Graham Hill Eyecare
🌸 Purdeys Jewellers - Shepparton & Benalla
🌸 Fit & Folly
🌸 Europa Deli & Cafe
🌸 Hydie Blooms
🌸 BelCibo & Co
🌸 Lyn McNaught Travel
🌸 Black Rabbit Distillery
🌸 Pental Factory Sales
🌸 Lemon Tree Cafe
🌸 SPC Factory Sales
🌸 Asthetique Skin Care
🌸 Little Stormed Forge
🌸 Renato's Florist
🌸 Fiore's Bakery Cafe
🌸 The Teller Collective

Thank you to Dr. Shiromali Ekanayake, GP, who donated one of her paintings for the silent auction which sold for $150.

And of course, to everyone who attended. Your presence added so much joy and warmth to the occasion. We are immensely proud to be part of such a supportive community. Together, we raised an incredible $2,487 for MND Victoria. This achievement speaks volumes about our collective generosity. Thank you once again for making this event a remarkable success!

To help continue the valuable work provided by MND Victoria, donations can be made through Karen Gladigau's memorial page here: https://www.mnd.org.au/memory/59/karen-gladigau