South West Healthcare’s new medical centre manager Sue Fleming and the hospital’s director of general practitioners Daryl Pedler prepare for the clinic’s opening next month.
A SHORTAGE of GPs will hopefully be relieved with the opening of the new medical centre at South West Healthcare.
The centre is in the community health building and is part of the $115 million hospital redevelopment.
When opened next month, it will be the first general practitioner (GP) clinic at the Warrnambool hospital.
South West Healthcare’s director of general practitioners Daryl Pedler said it was hoped the centre would alleviate a shortage of general practitioners in south-west Victoria.
“GP numbers right across Australia are low,” Dr Pedler said.
“That’s why there has been the federal government initiatives to increase the numbers of medical students.
“Our obvious aim is to decrease the GP shortage.”
Dr Pedler said the hospital was still in the process of recruitment.
“The idea is to start small and grow,” he said.
“We’re still in the process of recruitment.
“We will probably start with two or three part-time and build the numbers over time,” he told The Standard.
“We want to increase the GP capacity of the town and that’s what we’ll work towards.”
Services in the community health centre will include mental health, palliative care, counselling and speech pathology.
The new medical centre will open on November 19.
