The Bermuda Medical Specialties Group has taken a new doctor, Andrea Gilford Johnson.

Dr Gilford Johnson hails from Georgetown, Guyana, and has been practising for 18 years with particular interest in community and preventive medicine.

“My personal motto is to treat others the way you would like to be treated as a patient, and to deliver compassionate healthcare,” Dr Gilford Johnson said. “I believe the Bermuda Medical Specialties Group delivers excellent, co-ordinated, and complex care to the residents of Bermuda, and I am excited to be a member of this extraordinary team.”

BMSG medical director Arlene Basden was excited to welcome Dr Gilford Johnson to the practice.

“She provides a great blend of first-rate clinical education and knowledge with a strong passion for providing community-based care,” Dr Basden said.

Previously, Dr Gilford Johnson worked with the British Virgin Islands Government at the new Peebles Hospital. Initially, she was a general medical officer and was subsequently promoted to the position of a medical registrar in the department of medicine. While there, she was given an award of excellence for her interaction with colleagues and patients.

She graduated from the University of Guyana in November 2000 with a Bachelor of Medicine and a Bachelor of Surgery. She also has a diploma in medical technology, with distinction, specialising in haematology, and certifications in the American Heart Association basic and advanced life support programme.

Dr Gilford Johnson is now part of a team of medical professionals with a range of specialities such as cardiology, neurology, and family medicine, among other things.

“We have designed an extensive health programme using tools, talent, and techniques that will benefit our community,” Dr Basden said. “We have not reinvented healthcare, but we have approached it quite differently. We offer comprehensive, complex, medical care, using technical diagnostic equipment, providing innovative client information and education programmes. We believe in a holistic approach to healthcare for our patients, one that involves primary care doctors and specialists that focus not only on the medical diagnosis and treatment of ailments, but also on prevention and screening.”

To help patients get to know Dr Gilford Johnson, BMSG is offering a no copay doctor’s appointment during February and March on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

“With the holiday season just over, and this being the time where people put off healthcare over other needs, we wanted to show our support to the community at a time of year when money is limited, and people are most prone to illnesses,” Marico Thomas, BMSG chief executive officer, said.

BMSG is at 3 Reid Street, on the third floor, adjacent to The Phoenix Centre.

• For information call 541-2674 or e-mail mycare@bermudamedical.com www.bermudamedical.com