Doctors

Covering a diverse range of specialized health care services, the Doctors are:

Dr. Rodney Catton - M.B.B.S. B.Sc. F.A.C.R.R.M. G.A.I.C.D.

Dr Rod Catton commenced private general practice in Innisfail in 1978. He is a fellow with the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine. He has a special interest in chronic pain management and chronic disease, Indigenous health and mental health.

Rod has also been heavily involved in the training and education of Medical Students, GP Registrars and Overseas trained GP’s. He understands the importance of training the next generation of doctors. Dr Catton works Monday to Friday and some Saturday mornings.

Dr. Georgeta Deac - M.B.B.S. F.R.A.C.G.P.

Dr Georgeta Deac graduated from Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj Napoca Romania in 2001. She completed 6 years of university studies, 1 year of internship and 5 years of general practice before moving to Australia. She commenced working in Innisfail in 2014 and is a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.

Dr Deac has a special interest in general family health, chronic disease, women’s health, child and adolescent health, natural health/medication, nutrition, weight management and mental health. She speaks Romanian and understands partially French, Italian and Spanish. Dr Deac is available for appointments on weekdays and some Saturday mornings.

Dr. Evan Coppin - M.B.B.S. B.Sc. F.R.A.C.G.P.

Dr Evan Coppin commenced work in Innisfail in 2014.  He is a Fellow with the Royal Australian College Of General Practitioners. He is particularly interested in general practice and children’s health. Appointments for Dr Coppin are available Monday to Friday and some Saturday mornings.

Dr John Denness - M.B.B.S. B.E. (Hons) B.Sc. F.R.A.C.G.P. M.Med (Skin Cancer)

Dr John Denness commenced working in Innisfail in 2015.  Dr Denness is particularly interested in skin cancer medicine and has a Master of Medicine in Skin Cancer and is an accredited skin cancer doctor with the Skin Cancer College of Australasia.  He is also interested in general practice medicine and is a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.

Dr John Denness speaks English and Indonesian.  Appointments for Dr Denness are available Monday to Friday and some Saturday mornings.

Dr Noor Al-Okbi - M.B.B.S. F.R.A.C.G.P.

Dr Noor Al-Okbi graduated from Al-kindy Medical College, Baghdad University in Iraq in 2009.  She completed 6 years of university studies, 1 year of internship and 5 years of General Practice before moving to Australia.  She worked at Liverpool Hospital, Sydney for 3 years before working in Innisfail in March 2021.  She is a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and has a child health diploma accredited by Sydney Children Hospitals network. 

Dr Noor has special interests in General Family Health, Women’s Health, Child and Adolescents Health, Chronic Diseases, Acute illnesses, Dermatological and Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) conditions.  Dr Noor is having time off for maternity leave and following this is planning on returning to work through video conferencing.

Dr Prasad Waduge - M.B.B.S.

Dr Prasad Waduge graduated his medical degree in Sri Lanka and moved to Australia in 2012, where he initially worked in the hospital setting for 3 years in Victoria.  Since 2016 he has changed to working in General Practice in Far North Queensland.

Dr Prasad has special interests in general family health, child and adolescent health, chronic diseases, weight management, and mental health.  He is available for appointments on week days.

Dr Ian Denness - M.B.B.S. F.R.A.C.G.P. A.C.C.Derm. D.SkinCancerMed. C.P.C.Derm. A.I.DermM. D.C.H. Grad.D.Div.

Dr Ian Denness graduated from Sydney and commenced work in rural general practice in Victoria, followed by 30 years as a medical missionary in Pakistan starting treatment services for tuberculosis and drug addiction in impoverished areas.  He developed an interest in helping people with skin diseases, and as such has chased this further, completing multiple courses in dermatology and skin cancer medicine and surgery.  He is an accredited skin cancer doctor with the Skin Cancer College of Australasia.  He has worked as a skin cancer doctor in Melbourne, Cairns, and Sydney.

Dr Ian Denness is available for appointments for skin and skin cancer related issues only, and works Tuesday through to Friday.

Dr Marygrace Apron Phoon - M.D.

Dr Marygrace Apron Phoon, ‘Dr Grace’ is an experienced doctor who graduated medical school in one of the top hospitals in the Philippines (St. Luke’s Medical Center) in 2009. She then moved to Australia in 2015 and gained knowledge about the Australian healthcare system in various clinical and hospital settings in Sydney and Canberra. She then relocated to Innisfail for further GP training. She has a special interest in lifestyle and aesthetic medicine, and she enjoys caring for adult and paediatric patients.

Dr Grace is speaks English and Tagalog (Filipino). She is available for consultations during weekdays.

Dr Sohin Thaim - M.B.B.S M.D. (Pharmacy)

Dr. Sohin Thaim graduated from Medical College Baroda, Gujarat, India in 2008. Following this, he completed his Masters degree in Pharmacology, acquiring extensive knowledge of medications. He has six years of experience teaching medical students and spent eight years practicing in a small town in India before relocating to Australia. During this time, he gained significant clinical expertise in General Medicine and subspecialties. Dr. Sohin’s professional interests include General Medicine, family health, and managing Chronic Diseases.

He speaks English, Hindi, and Gujarati, and is available for consultations on weekdays.