Ask any woman and she might tell you that going for a gynecological checkup or Pap smear is one of the most uncomfortable experiences one would have to endure, apart from childbirth! Nevertheless, it is a small discomfort to put up with compared to the risks of developing gynaecological problems without regular checkups.A good gynecologist might not be so easy to find as each woman would tend to recommend the doctor they frequent and are comfortable with.

My company recently had a Health Awareness Week where women’s health was given some emphasis and we were first introduced to PrimaNora, a private specialist medical centre dedicated to helping women lead healthy lives. What makes PrimaNora unique is that they are a centre which was founded by a woman, are run by women and are focused on women’s health needs. The founder of the clinic, Datuk Dr Nor Ashikin Mokhtar, founded this clinic with the objective of providing women with total healthcare, screening and diagnosis in one easy location by trained specialists.

Read my review of PrimaNora clinic below.

The first thing that struck me about PrimaNora clinic during my first visit there was how well designed the place was. It was clean, comfortable and did not have that horrid antiseptic smell one tends to associate with hospitals and clinics. Comfortable chairs are provided for one to wait while being attended to with lots of magazines and cable TV for entertainment. From the pretty tiles on the floor to the bathroom, it is clear that lots of thought has been put into the design of the clinic to make it a comfortable place for women.

The team of doctors there are mainly Malay women which makes PrimaNora a great place for Malay  abd Muslim women who may be less comfortable with male gynaecologists. I found them to be very professional and friendly. As this was my first visit there, I appreciated the fact that Dr Marsitah, the specialist, took some time in explaning the impotance of health screening tests and providing more information on how the screening test will be done so there will be no surprises.

I found their equipment to be rather impressive. The bed in the doctor’s area came equipped with a video TV and ultrasound screen which allows patient to view it together with the doctor as she performs the screening. As they are a relatively new clinic, everything is rather new and clean. The doctor also took her time in carrying out the screening to ensure a thorough test is done without rushing it as some doctors might do, especially if they have a long waiting list of patients.

Overall, I found my experience there to be relatively pleasant. PrimaNora also offers the HPV vaccination, Cervarix, against the HPV virus which has been found to be a cause of cervical cancer. I would especially recommend it for Malay or Muslim women as they are assured of great care by Muslim women specialists at PrimaNora. Although there are now quite a large number of private medical care available in the Klang Valley, it is good to know that women’s needs are now taken care of with a specialist centre specially for women, especially since women are now becoming more conscious of the importance of prevention and early detection.

Edit: I went back there to collect my results and was quite disappointed with their services. They requested me to see the doctor for less than 5 minutes which I thought was the normal procedure when you collect medical results. However to my surprise and disappointment, they then charged me RM70+ just for that consultation! I thought it wasn’t a fair charge as the medical explanation of the test results should be part of their services and not chargeable!

PrimaNora is located in Taman Tun at the following address:

PrimaNora Medical Centre Sdn Bhd
B1-13, TTDI Plaza, Jalan Wan Kadir 3,
Taman Tun Dr. Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur.
Phone : 03-77282886
Fax : 03-77262886
Email : info@primanora.com
Website : http://www.primanora.com