29/11/2025
Thank you Dr Lambrou!
For over 30 years, Dr Michael Lambrou has been the on site, on call, Career Medical Officer for St Vincent's Hospital. The role of the hospital CMO is to provide clinical back up for specialists who have admitted their patients to our hospital under their care, but can't physically be present 24/7. Should a patient need urgent attention in the middle of the night, it's the CMO who rushes to their bedside and provides whatever treatment is required - stabilisation, medication, physical therapy, and sometimes, as Michael says, "you just need to hold a hand".
Having spent his initial years focused in the Palliative Care unit at St Vincent's, Michael has maintained and continued this connection to support community members, families, loved ones, and hospital colleagues in times of deep sadness, and ultimate relief.
It is this long-forged bond with co-workers, the hospital community, as well as the people of the Northern Rivers region, which makes a farewell so hard, and which makes Michael get teary during our interview. It's difficult to walk away from a relationship so central to his life.
He did mention his disappointment that he didn't see any donuts at morning tea on his last day 😁, but his final words in our chat were... "I won't get to thank everyone, but I want them all to know that I've truly appreciated working alongside them for the last 30 years - since the 11th of January 1995" (yes, he remembers the exact date).
An absolute professional, and a true gentleman of medicine.
Michael we hope to see you visiting our halls in years to come, but for now, enjoy a well earned rest, some quiet time, and get used to your phone NOT ringing.
We'll miss you!!
