About Us
Shellharbour Medical Centre is a modern, architect designed facility created with a vision: to deliver exceptional, patient-centred healthcare to the Shellharbour community. Since opening on 23 March 2009, the practice has grown into a trusted healthcare provider serving generations of local families.
Following a new chapter in the practice’s history in 2026, Shellharbour Medical Centre continues under the leadership of Dr Bahgat Gerges and Dr Soheir Abadier. Together with their dedicated team, they remain committed to delivering exceptional healthcare, supporting medical education and investing in the future health and wellbeing of the Shellharbour community.
We strive to provide the highest standard of care through a holistic approach to the prevention, diagnosis and management of illness. We are committed to promoting health, wellbeing and disease prevention to all patients.
Our multidisciplinary team consists of experienced General Practitioners, Registered Nurses, Reception Staff and Allied Health Professionals working collaboratively to provide comprehensive patient care.
Our doctors are actively involved in medical education through the University of Wollongong, mentoring medical students and contributing to research initiatives through the Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute.
The Shellharbour Medical Centre prides itself in providing continuing education to the wider community of the Shellharbour area; delivering free community education in areas like Diabetes management, Weight management, Infection control, smoking cessation, sun safe skin protection, domestic violence awareness, e-health, antibiotic awareness, asthma awareness and management, sexual health, wills-power of attorney/enduring guardianship, advanced care directives, appropriate use of emergency services, healthy eating and osteoporosis.
At Shellharbour Medical Centre, we are committed to continuous improvement, embracing innovation, patient feedback and best-practice medicine to ensure we continue to meet the evolving needs of our diverse and growing community.
Our Mission
At Shellharbour Medical Centre, our mission is to deliver compassionate, patient-focused care while promoting health, wellbeing, and disease prevention. We are dedicated to serving the diverse needs of our community and continually improving through education and innovation.
Meet the Doctors
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General Practitioner & Co-Founder | MBBS, FRACGP
Dr Bahgat Gerges is the Principal General Practitioner and co-founder of Shellharbour Medical Centre. With over three decades of clinical experience, he is highly regarded for his comprehensive and compassionate approach to patient care.
Dr Gerges holds postgraduate qualifications in Primary Care Skin Cancer Medicine and Surgery through the University of Queensland and has a special interest in skin cancer detection, management, and minor procedures. He conducts full-body skin checks and procedural skin clinics on Tuesday afternoons.
In addition to his clinical expertise, Dr Gerges is an accredited GP Supervisor for Phase 1 and 3 medical students from the University of Wollongong School of Medicine, where he contributes actively to teaching and mentoring the next generation of doctors.
Areas of interest:
• Skin cancer medicine and surgery
• Preventative and long-term care
• Medical education and clinical supervision -
General Practitioner & Co-Founder | MBBS, FRACGP
Dr Soheir Abadier is the co-founder of Shellharbour Medical Centre and a senior General Practitioner with extensive experience in both rural and urban medical practice. She has worked in general practice since 2001 and has held long-term solo GP and hospital-based roles in regional New South Wales prior to establishing the medical centre.
Dr Abadier has a strong clinical focus in antenatal care, child health, and women’s health, and is known for her attentive, patient-centred approach. She is also a clinical supervisor for Phase 1–3 medical students from the University of Wollongong and contributes to the ongoing development of teaching within the practice.
Areas of interest:
• Antenatal care
• Child and adolescent health
• Women’s health
• Medical education -
General Practitioner | MB ChB, FRACGP
Dr Salwa Hammad is a General Practitioner with Fellowship from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. She has clinical interests in women’s health, children’s health, chronic disease management, and cosmetic medicine. Dr Hammad has undertaken additional training in aesthetic procedures and provides cosmetic treatments including anti-wrinkle injections and dermal fillers.
Areas of interest:
• Women’s and children’s health
• Chronic disease management
• Diabetes care
• Cosmetic medicine -
General Practitioner | MBBS, FRACGP
Dr Vera Stojkovska is a highly experienced General Practitioner with a broad scope of practice across all aspects of general medicine. She has particular interests in antenatal care, women’s and children’s health, and men's health, and is known for her thorough and holistic clinical style.
Areas of interest:
• Antenatal care
• Women’s and children’s health
• Men’s health -
General Practitioner | MBBS, FRACGP
Dr Cindy Casado graduated from the University of Wollongong and completed her postgraduate hospital training throughout the Illawarra and Shoalhaven. She has extensive experience in general practice and has special interests in antenatal shared care, women’s health, paediatrics, and preventative medicine.
Areas of interest:
• Antenatal shared care
• Women’s health
• Paediatrics
• Preventative health -
General Practitioner | MBBS, DCH, MPH, FRACGP
Dr Chamu Ramakrishna has trained and worked across Australia in both hospital and general practice settings, and is experienced in caring for patients from diverse cultural backgrounds, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. She speaks five languages and provides a wide scope of care across general medicine.
Areas of interest:
• Women’s and children’s health
• Chronic disease management
• Mental health
• Sexual and reproductive health
• Aboriginal health
• Skin checks and minor procedures -
General Practitioner Registrar | MBBS
Dr Lucinda Mylchreest is a GP Registrar who graduated from the University of Sydney and trained in hospital systems across North Sydney and Wollongong. She has a particular interest in women’s health, mental health, and chronic disease management, and is known for her warm and evidence-based approach to care.
Areas of interest:
• Women’s health
• Mental health
• Chronic disease management
Community Engagement
Shellharbour Medical Centre is committed to empowering our local community through health education and preventative care. We regularly update our topic-specific educational displays in the waiting area to raise awareness and support better health outcomes across a wide range of topics, including:
Diabetes management and healthy weight
Infection control and antibiotic awareness
Asthma and respiratory health
Healthy eating and osteoporosis prevention
Smoking cessation and sun safety
Domestic and family violence awareness
eHealth services and advance care planning
Bowel cancer screening and prevention
Infant and child health
Teaching & Research
As a teaching practice, we proudly support the development of future medical professionals through our partnership with the University of Wollongong School of Medicine and the Illawarra Health & Medical Research Institute (IHMRI).
Currently, our team is mentoring:
1 Phase 1 medical student
1 Phase 3 medical student
1 GP Registrar in clinical placement
We believe that investing in medical education helps shape the future of healthcare for generations to come.
Quality & Innovation
We use Best Practice software to manage all patient records, appointments and billing, ensuring your information is handled securely and efficiently.
We value your feedback and use it to continuously improve our services, ensuring we meet the needs of our culturally diverse community with empathy and understanding.
