Dr. Anita Somasundram

I have been a doctor for 22 years and a GP for 13 of these. 

I was born in Malaysia into a medical family, and obtained my primary medical (MBBS) qualification in India, before returningto Malaysia to complete my professional training. Malaysia was undergoing a period of rapid social and developmentalchange, and there was a huge emphasis on equitable healthcare with a strong scientific evidence base. I worked in the city hospital for the first year, and then in a more rural area for 18 months. Out there, traditional medicine still held sway. This made for some very interesting consultations, especially when the first opinion for a fracture was sometimes the local witch doctor.

Through a mutual friend I met and married my husband, who happened to be a GP’s son from East Anglia. My subsequent training continued in the UK, and I completed my post-graduate training for general practice (MRCGP) along with supplementaryqualifications in women's health and contraception (DFSHRM). Over the course of several years, I developed a special interest in areas of musculoskeletal medicine and pursued additional training in this field.

The multi-faceted aspect of life and work as a GP is unique and I find it endlessly interesting and satisfying.

Duringmy downtime I like to spend as much time outdoors as weather and chores permit. Gardening, birdsong, slow food and salsa (of the Cuban dance variety) with my nearest and dearest continues to makemy world go around.