Dr M.E. Vijayasenan

DR M.E VIJAYASENAN

B.Sc., M.B,B.S (MDS), D.I.H. (CAL), D.P.M., R.C.P., R.C.S. (LOND), M.R.C. PSYCH. (LOND), F.R.A.N.Z.C.P. (NZ)

Dr Vijay, as he’s known to his patients and colleagues, recently retired after spending the last 40 years working in New Zealand as a psychiatrist in both the public and private health systems. He occupied senior posts within the public system, opening a new psychiatric unit in one of the country’s larger general hospitals where he served as Director of Psychiatric services. He was also directly involved in the training and development of young doctors training in the psychiatric field, and gains great satisfaction in seeing the success of his past students. He also developed his own private practice over many years, where he supported people with mental illness seeking help outside of the hospital system.

Inspired by his mother, herself a doctor, he began his career in medicine in India. He trained and qualified with a MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery), later, specializing with a postgraduate diploma in Industrial Health, and went on to work for the Simpson Group Companies, a large multinational. While working there as a factory medical officer he noticed stress in some factory workers and helped them to cope with it. He later outlined the reasons for the stress in detail which resulted in difficulties both at work and in their personal lives, publishing his findings in the Indian Journal of Industrial Medicine.

Later when working in England he decided to pursue postgraduate study in psychiatry and attained membership to the Royal College of Psychiatrists in the United Kingdom.

Dr Vijay is now a Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists.

He has always worked to improve the lives of his patients, showing great empathy and putting himself in someone’s shoes when he worked with them.

As noted Dr Vijay is recently retired and is enjoying spending quality time with his wife, children and grandchildren.