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Stronger Medicare Award Winner



I have just returned from Canberra where I have won an award for my efforts in founding Utopia Refugee Health and my continuing role in steering the organisation. I would like to take this opportunity to pause and reflect.


Dr Leste Mascarenhas receiving the award from the Minister for health

Utopia is a charity. Our unique model is not government funded. We operate out of a small clinic in Hoppers Crossing. We are embedded in the local refugee communities and indeed many of our staff come from these communities. Trust and relationships have been at the cornerstone of how we run the service. Our organisation is purpose-driven meaning that profit is not our primary purpose. We also strive to maximise cost-effectiveness which is another way of saying that we try and get good value for every Medicare dollar. In an era of rising Medicare expenditure this approach is vital in ensuring the sustainability of our healthcare system. I write this note only as a doctor, but as a citizen.


Left to right: Joanne Ryan (MP Lalor), Dr Lester Mascarenhas and Vern O'Hara

For me Utopia has been a labour of love. The Utopia project was born in my dining room over conversation with friends. The support that I received from literally hundreds of people over the past 5 years has been heartening. The dollar value of money and pro bono services provided runs into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. I cannot name all who have helped with Utopia as the list will be very long. I would however like to name two special people. One is Philip Moo Eh who is a representative of the Karen community. Many people have given what they can to Utopia, Philip has given more than what he can. The measure of a person’s generosity is not how much they give, but how much they give in proportion to what they have. Philip has given his time and labour so freely and generously and for this I am indebted to him. The second person who I would like to thank has given me something that cannot be counted in money, time or labour. Vern O’Hara my partner has always supported my decision to launch Utopia even when Utopia was just an idea in my mind with no money or resources to show for. I started Utopia with no experience of running a clinic. I doubted my ability to run a business and if it was not for Vern’s solid faith in me, I would have not gone through with the idea.

I would like to invite you to join the growing number of individuals who have supported Utopia over the years by making a financial contribution to us. Please click on this link

to donate a one-off amount or even better, make an on-going contribution. The service would not get as far as we have without the generosity and philanthropy of people like you.

 

 

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