Our Team at Ohope Beach Medical Centre

Our Doctors

Dr Marieke Roelofs - FRNZGP

Dr Lise Griffith - FRNZGP

Dr Jessika Voll - General Surgery MBBS, MRCS, MMed Ed

Nurse Practitioner Ellen Walker

Nurse Practitioner Martina Sharpe

Our Nurses/Paramedics

Our Admin Team

Tracy Sisson

Wendy

Karen Abbot

Our Health Improvement Practitioner (HIP)

Pharyn Herewini

About the owners

Well-being and POSITIVE MEDICINE

When driving through Ohope for the first time seven years ago, a young couple saw the Ohope Beach Medical Centre - at the beach- with a sea view - and they both thought, wow, imagine if we could own a medical centre like that one!

In December 2022, the dream of not only owning their own medical centre, but that very one, in their dream location they spotted seven years prior, came to reality for Jasper Heijtel and Marieke Roelofs-Heijtel. Jasper and Marieke arrived in New Zealand from The Netherlands, with a baby, in 2016. They knew New Zealand was a great place to be, but where in New Zealand could they find the perfect home for them? Where it’s warm, on the coast, close to a main centre, great place to bring up children. Ohope Beach was thatplace – just perfect! They have not looked back, and with their now, two children, Floris (7) and Sophie (4), they call Ohope home.

Marieke is a GP. She has always been a GP. And she loves being a GP. Since arriving in New Zealand, she has worked at several medical centres in the Bay of Plenty and has therefore come to understand the way the health system works in New Zealand. Owning her own practice has always been her focus.

Jasper has been in IT Management in the Kiwifruit industry, since being in New Zealand. His prior life in the Netherlands saw him in the armed forces. Together, with their combined skills and experience, when the opportunity arose to purchase the Ohope Beach Medical Centre, there was no way they could turn this down. Their vision is to provide a family-friendly medical centre, which is in the heart of the community providing not only medical care, but a whole sense of well-being and support, positive medicine, and having more time for their patients.

Positive Medicine – not a term we all know. Positive medicine is all about lifestyle and well-being. Marieke wants to really hear her patients and their families. Get to the source of the problem, not just prescribe a pill for the symptoms. Discovering the background behind the issue and understanding her patients’ work or family situations. To find out what is behind the symptoms can prove to be far more effective than putting a sticking plaster on it. The underlying issues may not always be physical.

Being ‘healthy’ isn’t just about not having to visit the doctor. Marieke pointed out the WHO constitution, which states, “Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. An important implication of this definition is that mental health is more than just the absence of mental disorders or disabilities. The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition.

To spark our inner health, we sometimes need encouragement and motivation. Marieke knows all about this. The centre provides links to other local health improvement practitioners. The likes of Pilates, or Yoga, or other fitness instructors, Nutritionists, Life coaches, and many more. After all, if the cause of our ailments can be mitigated, without the need for medication, this has to be a huge benefit for everyone – wouldn’t you agree?

We are not talking about alternative medicines or anything along those lines. This is just about our community, our people, and looking after ourselves by being aware of our behaviours and the environment around us.

Have you heard of Blue Zones? These are the places where the world’s longest-lived cultures thrive. Where the population live better and live longer. The whyand the how of these cultures have been studied. To be involved in increasing the well-being of our own community, leading to greater stability, improved health equity and increased resilience, would be a huge triumph for Marieke and Jasper. Positive Medicine is a step in this direction.

Marieke, Jasper, and their team at Ohope Beach Medical Centre are committed to providing high-quality healthcare. They want to be there for you, assisting and guiding you to make the right health choices by providing you with the information you require. They provide continuous care with a comprehensive range of services. It is a challenging time in health care right now and will only become more so, but the team are prepared and set up to deliver their patients the best healthcare experience. Ohope Beach Medical Centre are a team of friendly, welcoming doctors and health professionals, who are all committed to offering great healthcare, being there for their patients, listening, guiding, and ensuring the right choices are made and assistance is offered when required.