Physiotherapist Tanushka Alva APAM has dedicated her career to improving healthcare access and pain management within Tasmania’s public healthcare system. 

As a senior musculoskeletal physiotherapist at Launceston General Hospital (LGH), Tanushka plays a pivotal role in bridging the gap for patients experiencing acute and chronic pain, particularly in regional areas, where specialist care is often limited.

Tanushka’s role at LGH is multifaceted, encompassing both the outpatient clinic and the orthopaedic fracture clinic, where she works alongside surgeons to manage acute injuries.

Having been with LGH’s outpatient physiotherapy clinic since June of 2024, Tanushka says her decision to leave private practice in Burnie, located in Tasmania’s north-west, for the public health system was driven by a personal commitment to providing equitable healthcare.

‘Launceston doesn’t have many pain clinicians and we know that chronic pain is more prevalent in regional areas,’ she says. 

‘I wanted to provide care to people who really need it and might not be able to access private services.’ 

Spark is ignited

Tanushka’s journey into physiotherapy was inspired by personal experience. 

Growing up in Mumbai, India, she witnessed firsthand the transformative effects of physiotherapy through her grandmother’s rehabilitation after multiple joint replacement surgeries. 

Physiotherapy, she learned, could help people with their pain.

‘I really loved the fact that a person who was so debilitated prior to surgery could recover and get back to doing things,’ Tanushka says. 

‘My grandmother was incredible—six weeks after her knee replacement she was back out every day meeting her friends.

'Seeing that improvement firsthand made me realise that if I could do this for other people, it would be amazing.’

Tanushka pursued her undergraduate physiotherapy studies in Mumbai and worked in India for a few years before moving to Australia with her partner Sinan, also a physiotherapist, to complete her postgraduate studies in sports physiotherapy in Western Australia.

However, securing a job proved challenging due to visa and accreditation requirements. 

Tanushka and Sinan struggled to find work in Australia and began discussing potentially returning to India. 

Around that time, the couple also learned that regional locations in Australia offered better job opportunities for overseas-trained physiotherapists.

‘One day, my partner just said, “I’ve applied for a job in Tasmania.” I asked, “Do you even know where Tasmania is?” 

'It was completely on a whim—the job opportunity came up and they hired both of us.’

That job opportunity was in Burnie—a coastal city with a population of around 20,000 people, famed for its deepwater port and associated industries such as manufacturing, cargo and woodchip exports. 

Tanuska Alva.

The move from Perth to Burnie marked the start of the couple’s Tasmanian chapter, where Tanushka says she gained valuable experience treating a broad range of patients at a private practice. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the owner of the practice retired, leaving Tanushka and Sinan once again looking for work.

After Sinan secured a job at LGH, the couple packed their bags and left Burnie, moving to Launceston, where they have been ever since. 

Tanushka took up work in a multidisciplinary private practice, where she and a colleague set up a pain education program.

Tanushka’s interest in working with pain deepened when she first moved to Tasmania and became involved with Pain Revolution (https://painrevolution.org), an organisation dedicated to improving pain education and management in regional Australia.

Tanushka is particularly interested in pain education and management, emphasising physiotherapy’s role in helping patients understand and manage their pain. 

After completing the Pain Revolution’s Local Pain Educator program, she later took on a leadership role, coordinating and managing the initiative.

‘Physios have a unique advantage; we have time with patients,’ Tanushka says. 

‘We can do a comprehensive assessment, educate them and help them move better. 

'A lot of people believe that if they’ve lived with pain for a long time, there’s nothing they can do about it. 

'But there are many strategies that can improve quality of life.

‘The Local Pain Educator program was a game changer for me,’ she says. 

‘It provided me with the knowledge and mentorship to support my patients better. 

'Now I’m involved in training other health professionals, helping them to bring pain education to their own communities.’

Going public

In June last year, Tanushka made the switch to working in the public health system, joining her husband at LGH. 

The reason was twofold—firstly, her desire to offer her skills without financial barriers for patients and secondly, the positive change happening within the Tasmanian Department of Health. 

‘It’s an exciting time to be a part of the Tasmanian health system,’ she says.

Working in public health has afforded Tanushka the opportunity to collaborate with other healthcare professionals in an interdisciplinary setting. 

She divides her time between outpatient physiotherapy and the orthopaedic fracture clinic, where she works alongside orthopaedic surgeons to manage acute injuries.

‘We triage referrals, develop treatment plans and help patients navigate the recovery process,’ she says. 

‘It’s quite exciting to be part of a team where we can make timely decisions for patients.’

Another exciting initiative Tanushka is currently involved in is a trial statewide rheumatology service. 

This has provided Tanushka with an opportunity to work alongside some advanced musculoskeletal physiotherapists from Hobart to better understand physiotherapists’ role in screening and supporting patients with rheumatological conditions.

The path ahead

With her background in sports physiotherapy and a postgraduate qualification in pain management, Tanushka is committed to bridging gaps in healthcare services in Tasmania. 

She hopes to see more specialised pain services established in the north of the state to improve accessibility for patients in Launceston and beyond.

‘Tasmania is small but for patients in the north, accessing services in Hobart can be a huge challenge,’ Tanushka says. 

‘If we can build more local services, it will make a world of difference for patients who need ongoing care.’

For now, Tanushka remains focused on making a difference within the public health system, ensuring that her patients receive the best possible care, regardless of their financial circumstances. 

Her journey from Mumbai to Launceston may not have been a straight path but every step has reinforced her commitment to helping people regain their mobility and quality of life.