Congratulations to Dr Buddhika Herath – the first candidate in our District to complete the Workplace Base Assessment (WBA) program and receive his General Registration with the Australian Medical Council (AMC).
Buddhika, an Emergency Medicine physician, joined Lismore Base Hospital (LBH) during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. He brought experience in emergency medicine, critical care, and anaesthesia from his home country of Sri Lanka. His experience was invaluable during the pandemic and the major flood event of 2022.
In a stroke of good fortune, the introduction of the AMC WBA program at LBH in late 2022 proved to be a turning point in Buddhika’s quest for recognition of his prior experience by the Australian healthcare system. He was selected as one of the three inaugural candidates and embarked on a rigorous 12-month program.
The 12–18-month program is an alternative to completing the AMC clinical examination. It includes case discussions, mini clinical examinations and direct medical procedure observations across all major specialties within the hospital.
In November 2023, Buddhika was awarded the AMC certificate, allowing him to gain his general medical registration.
He expressed his heartfelt gratitude for the support of the hospital’s Junior Medical Officer leadership team, including Dr Katherine Willis-Sullivan (Director of Medical Services), Dr Yashvi Wimalasena (Director of Training for IMGs and Regional Training Hub Director), along with the Medical Administration Team.
He also recognised the invaluable contribution of the Senior Medical Officers who guided and evaluated him throughout the assessment process.