Practice principal Doctor Ami Thies said the funding would ensure expansion of the clinic to include five additional consulting rooms, a health library and a multi disciplinary clinic.

Last year part of the Old Royal Hotel was transformed into a multi purpose health hub.

Dr Thies said so far about one quarter of the building was fully functional.

The practice is one of 67 that were offered grants across Australia with a total of $13.1 million under the Government’s Rural General Practice Grants program.

Member for Wannon Dan Tehan said the grant would help the Warrnambool clinic expand and improve its facilities. “Better facilities will allow more doctors, nurses and other health workers to get hands-on training in general practices in rural and remote areas like Warrnambool,” he said. 

“They will be able to attend to patients and also when they are fully qualified, are more likely to decide to stay in Warrnambool or another rural community.” 

Assistant Minister for Health David Gillespie said practices would match the amount of their grants to undertake their projects.

He said the projects could range from building new rooms to renovating existing rooms to buying computing technology. “As well as medical graduates, they may be used for training overseas trained doctors, nurses, Aboriginal health workers or other health professionals employed in the practice,” he said.

“Other grants will be used to create meeting rooms where patients can receive education about health conditions, such as diabetes, so they can take a more active role in managing their own health.

“The government supports a strong primary care workforce that can meet Australia’s future healthcare needs. Improving access to doctors and other health professionals in rural and regional Australia is a priority for our long term national health plan.”