Meet Dr. Donna: A Resilient & Determined Woman Impacting the World of Healthcare
Meet Dr. Donna Robinson, the Owner/CEO and practicing Doctor at MedConsult Clinic in Bangkok, Thailand. She was originally from the UK where she qualified, but later moved to Thailand and learned Thai fluently to pass the Thai Medical Exams. She has since worked at some of the largest international hospitals and opened the well-known MedConsult Clinic in Bangkok.
MedConsult Clinic is an award-winning General Practice medical clinic in Bangkok. They are much more diverse than a typical ‘western-styled’ GP Clinic and offer everything from Botox+fillers, sexual health, medicines, and vaccinations to all aspects of men’s and women’s health, and, of course, Covid testing, where they were the number 1 place to go in Bangkok.
“My mission and purpose are to provide affordable private health care, of the highest quality, to patients of every nationality and every economic status, equally, at our GP Clinic in Bangkok,” says Dr. Robinson.
Robinson is most proud of herself for taking the Thai medical license in Thai script in 1998. She hired a private teacher that taught her how to read Thai. She also stated she is proud that she opened MedConsult in 2003 initially as a consulting occupational health business, even though occupational health was new to her and her customers. She ended up hiring about 10 nurses and won contracts with large companies.
When asked what the reality of her job is compared to what she thought it was going to be, Robinson said, “It’s more fulfilling than I ever could have imagined. When I opened the clinic in 2003, I thought I would be a solo doctor and throw open the doors, have a steady flow of patients for GP appointments, and then I would go home. That’s far from reality! We grew exponentially; offer every medical service you could imagine; have a team of 30+ staff now, and are a well-established healthcare provider in Bangkok for expats, Thais, tourists – basically everyone. I can’t explain how rewarding it feels to provide jobs for so many.”
A misconception about being a doctor is that it is glamorous. She says, “there are times when you may get splashed from body fluids when treating a sick patient; sometimes you have to write medical reports or complete forms which can be tedious, but then everyday clients come in with medical problems that I learn so much from every patient.”
A misconception about running a clinic and being a woman in business is that you know what to do for every decision. Dr. Robinson says, “Every day you face problems you never knew about. Every day there are changes to make, every day I learn – it’s almost like each day is Day One starting a business.”
She finds her inspiration from the internet. She says “Often I wake in the night and I have thoughts and search TED talks, interviews.” These help her explore new ideas.
The three most influential people to Robinson are; her husband who moved to Thailand in 1889, Paul Geisler (the President of Kimberly-Clark Corp.) who would always give pearls of wisdom, and Heather Sukeem ODB who gave her very useful information.
The biggest lesson she has learned in her life is that “As a doctor and in business, you need to connect with people and understand what they are telling you. If I’m listening to a patient, initially they might only be willing to tell me less than half the story. I need to read between the lines what they are trying to say to me, help them open up, and then I can get a better picture to diagnose and treat them. In business it’s the same, you need to really connect with your customers, or a partner, to find out what they really want.”
A few goals she has for herself and her business is; to stay healthy and fit and also for the MedConsult clinic to be stable. She hired business advisors and throughout this year she is making many changes.
When asked for a quote that she lives by she passionately said, “If you have the instinct to act on a goal, you must physically move within 5 seconds or your brain will kill it. The moment you feel an instinct or a desire to act on a goal or a commitment, use the Rule.”
If she could advise someone seeking the same career path she would say “you will make mistakes and for every mistake, learn from it, and copy others and see what they are doing. Always listen to your customer or clients. There are hard decisions because you would all like to have the perfect workspace with perfect staff but everyone is juggling problems each day.”
Dr. Donna Robinson is not only a successful and motivated woman but she is also a resilient and determined individual making a lasting impact in the world of healthcare.
By Sam, Social Media & PR Intern | December 15, 2022
