Mudgee Medical Centre has welcomed four new doctors this month.
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The arrival of the new doctors is timely after the departure of several local doctors last year.
"Mudgee loves new doctors. We build up our numbers, but then we've lost a couple of doctors in the last year. Our appointment system hasn't been able to cope, so having new registrars here will really help patients be able to get an appointment," Colleen Best, Practice Manager at Mudgee Medical Centre said.
The doctors have commenced as registrars at Mudgee Medical Centre, and will also perform a VMO (Visiting Medical Officer) role at Mudgee Hospital which will involve delivering casualty and general medical services.
Among the four doctors is Dr Kate Jenkins, who has already completed a year working at South Mudgee Surgery.
"I came to Mudgee in the beginning because I wanted to do my GP training, and I thought that working in a rural area, you get to do a lot more, and be a bit more hands on than your city counterparts, and I know there is such a need for doctors out here. It's really good to be part of the workforce and try and make up for the lack of people that we have here sometimes," Dr Jenkins said.
Dr Melissa Price-Purnell will also be joining the team, after completing Advanced Diploma Obstetrics and Gynaecology in Tamworth last year. Dr Price-Purnell will also perform obstetric services in her VMO role.
Dr Oindrila Das has made the move to Mudgee from Brisbane, and was attracted to the rural setting of Mudgee.
"I wanted to start off my training in a rural setting, and I looked up at all the GP clinics, and Mudgee Medical Centre offered a lot more variety. I thought it would be a great experience, and a great way of starting of my GP training," Dr Das said.
Dr Preethi Pampapthi has arrived in Mudgee to gain regional experience from a general practice perspective after completing a year of general practice in Sydney.
Colleen Best said Mudgee Medical Centre and Mudgee Hospital will provide medical training to the registrars who will staying for a minimum of six months.
"We've got very experienced doctors here, we offer a huge training program, and should be able to answer the questions that any of them have with all the different skills that the doctors have got," she said.
Mudgee Medical Centre is aware of the difficulty in attracting new doctors to rural areas, and has created a new model that is more friendly to the family.
"We've got two different age groups here. There are doctors that want to retire or do less work in the next few years, [and] they've actually realised they have to - I suppose - be more flexible. Gone are the days when you've got a doctor who wants to be here for 40 hours a week and cover the hospital and all that," Colleen said.
Mudgee Medical Centre hopes that after the new doctors have finished their training, they will choose to continue to reside in Mudgee and serve the community.