Dr. Geir Bjornholdt

Dr. Geir Bjornholdt started the Tui Medical Centre with his wife Vasantha in 1990. They met as medical students in Dublin and while Vasantha switched over to Physiotherapy , Geir qualified as a doctor in 1975. They both have warm feelings for Ireland and are delighted to employ two Irish physios currently.

After Internship in Canada Geir worked in hospitals and general practice in Norway , 7 months even north of the arctic circle where home visits sometimes had to be done by boat , often through snowstorms and even on skis once when the road disappeared.

Before coming to New Zealand in 1987 the family – now with 2 children- spent almost 5 years in beautiful Natal , South Africa near the majestic Drakensberg Mountains. Working in a 300 bed provincial hospital with 3 other doctors was a new experience for Dr Bjornholdt where treating third world illnesses such as TB and malnutrition and even cholera and Leprosy was a far cry from Norwegian general practice which is similar to that of New Zealand.

Trauma, surgery, caesarean sections and anaesthetics added spice to the work there. The last 1 ½ years he ran a general practice predominantly for the Zulu population.

The first 2 ½ years in New Zealand he worked at Whangarei hospital mainly as a medical registrar and also getting his diploma in Obstetrics and gynecology.

Dr Bjornholdt has therefore a wide experience which is beneficial to his work in general practice in New Zealand. Although he does not deliver babies anymore and cannot perform caesarean sections or anaesthetics here he still enjoys minor surgery and all facets of general medicine. He likes the variation and daily challenge and also enjoys the close contact with families, some consisting of 4 generations –over the last 20 years.