“I have always loved talking to people about their lives and concerns. I am always trying to help people, if they fall in the street, or break down on the side of the road, I have their welfare in my heart.
“I researched medicine and pharmacy, and just felt that pharmacy would be the perfect fit for me,” Saba said.
As the new clinical pharmacist at Corowa Health Service, Saba is thankful for many things, including the daily commute from Wodonga to Corowa with her husband Dr Amir Vafaei.
“We were forced to spend 10 months apart during covid, when Amir was stuck in Iran for 10 months and could not get home to me. It was an extremely stressful time, and makes you think about what is important.
“Now we try to spend every available opportunity together that we can.
“We live in Wodonga but as Amir works in Corowa as one of the GPs at the Medical Centre, we had much time apart.
“I was delighted to be the successful applicant when the Clinical Pharmacist position was advertised at Corowa Hospital.
“It is a 45-minute drive to and from work each day, but we love to travel together, enjoy the countryside and spend quality time, we even have a lunch date together most days,” Saba said.
Saba and Amir swapped their busy city lifestyles two years ago when they moved from Melbourne to Rutherglen, and then onto Wodonga.
“It was so different moving to the country. Besides the quieter lifestyle, the conversations are different. Everyone was talking about farms, sheep, cows and crops!
Saba smiles, “I look back now and laugh. I had not imagined I would be talking about those things, but it is a big part of my patient’s life. It is very interesting to learn more and to appreciate the things that are important to the people in this community.
“Corowa is a gorgeous little town and I love my patients at Corowa Health Service. I make sure to really talk to them and their family, learn everyone’s names and build that rapport. It is so valuable in my role because I need to know what medication my patients are taking and why, and if that medication needs reviewing,” Saba said.
For Saba, her role is part of an overall wellness plan, building trust, helping people to manage at home, supporting them during an illness, improving their health and wellbeing.
Saba tells us, “You will never find me hiding in the office- I try to be out on the floor, talking to patients and their families, because it is through conversations that you may discover something important.
“I encourage my patients to ask me about anything they are unsure of, because it is so important that they understand what medications they are taking, why they are taking it and if they feel they are having any reactions or concerns.
“I want them to be healthy and happy, to make sure their medication is doing no harm, it is part of my role here.
Saba feels that her work environment at Corowa Health Service is supportive and describes her team as dedicated.
“When I started working here, everyone was a great support, and as a team we all trust in each other to get the best job done. It results in good patient outcomes when a team is so cohesive.
“Even my manager who resides in Wagga, makes time to visit me at the facility to see how I am going and if there is any extra support we need.
“He is invested in our profession and how we can meet the needs of our patients, he is thinking with you, such a good listener, and I feel extremely encouraged in my profession here.
Saba’s empathy and desire to help others has seen her work in a variety of organisations, including providing cancer medication support and pharmacy support to 11 facilities for the Department of Corrections in Victoria.
“I felt passionate about providing vulnerable people the best possible care, many of whom are where they are due to their personal circumstances.
“I was so lucky to grow up in family that fostered my learning. As a result, we all loved to read and to study, and we all strived to keep learning, to keep achieving. I was told I could be anything I wanted, and when I got my Masters degree, I was encouraged to study my PHD.
We both come from families who encouraged us and so many people do not have that. I feel it is important to help everyone where I can, to help others benefit from the things I have learnt as a pharmacist.
Saba and Amir love everything about living and working in a regional area.
“It's completely different, even my parents have noticed the change in our lifestyle, how we are more relaxed and happier.
“We have no plans to return to the big city and want to stay here as long as we can. We are both happy to travel to Corowa Hospital because it just gives us more time to talk during a pretty drive, and we used to be stuck in peak hour traffic for three hours a day with not much to see at all.
“We really enjoy our weekends together because there is so much to do here, without all the hassles. Groceries are easy, going out for dinner is easy, and if we want to travel to the city, it is not that far away.
“We sometimes ride our push bikes from Wodonga to the Hume dam, it is a 4-hour round trip, but very exhilarating.
“We even have time to both continue with our studies as I am completing my Master degree with Monash University and Amir is preparing himself for the Fellowship exams, and we love to keep learning.
“I would love to be here forever, providing exceptional patient care at the hospital, helping the beautiful people who live in this community, whenever they need me.
