Dr Gunn takes aim at Warrnambool's major health issues

The general practitioner from the Warrnambool Medical Clinic takes over after Dr Philpot retired in December.

“It’s an important job,” Dr Gunn said.

“Community health really matters. It’s the whole spectrum from outbreaks of disease to prevention. This region has got a number of health concerns which are above the population average in the state. Mental health and school retention rates — they matter as well. They need to be addressed.”

Dr Gunn has spent the majority of her life in Warrnambool.

“I was born and grew up in Warrnambool and went to university in Melbourne,” she said.

“I spent some time overseas and interstate before coming back here in 1997 and I commenced general practise at the Warrnambool Medical Clinic. I’ve been in general practise ever since, with a couple of hiatuses for having children.”

Dr Gunn has also completed a 12-month stint in remote Australia.

“We went to the Northern Territory in 2012 to East Arnhem Land,” she said.

“I worked up there in a remote community. Gove District Hospital is a regional referral hospital for the whole of East Arnhem Land. It was a really big catchment area for people who were mostly indigenous. It was a great job. It was completely different to Warrnambool.” 

Warrnambool’s community health has a positive outlook.

“I think Warrnambool is great,” she said. “It has a lot of advantages in terms of immunisation rates and we’ve still got English as a main language in the community, which makes it a lot easier for public health services and we’ve got a reasonably stable population.”

Dr Gunn urged the public to get the flu vaccination.

“The vaccine was released late this year so we are really on the run to get them out there,” she said. 

“High-risk patients should be coming in now to get them.”