Unveiled: $2m development plan to tackle Mount Gambier’s lack of GPs and childcare with one stone

A Melbourne-based developer has revealed an ambitious $2m plan to tackle a South Australian region’s lack of childcare and medical services. See the plans.

A property developer and mother-of-two from Melbourne has released plans to help tackle two main issues in Mount Gambier, as she dreams of seeing SA’s second largest city grow.

Parvesh Singhal has lodged plans to build a child care centre with an attached medical clinic in a bid to kill two of the regional city’s big problems with one development.

Ms Singhal, said the two key areas, which needed to be addressed was the lack of childcare and available GPs.

Parvesh Singhal plans on building a new childcare center and medical clinic to help grow a regional South Australian city. Picture: Supplied

Mount Gambier has recently seen a number of GP clinics roll back their services amid workforce shortages.

Dedicated Indigenous health service Pangula Mannamurna has had to reduce it’s clinic hours to five hours a week, while Medical Clinic Millicent was forced to end dedicated on-call bulk-bill doctors for urgent same-day care.

“Mount Gambier is the second largest city in South Australia — it’s everyone’s responsibility to bring this city forward,” Ms Singhal said.

The plan is still waiting on the City of Mount Gambier’s tick of approval — once built, the $2m development will be able to cater 92-96 children.

The medical centre will seek to retain four GPs to start, with plans of bringing on visiting specialists.

The dual facility is slated to be built 400m away from Scotch Enterprises’, a commercial subsidiary of Scotch College, planned childcare centre.

Once the plans are signed off, Ms Singhal plans to start construction on the two buildings immediately and predicts works to take between 12-18 months.

Member for Barker Tony Pasin recently took aim at the federal government for moving too slowly on its promised $1.8m for a Kingston SE childcare centre.

Member for Barker Tony Pasin slams federal government for dragging feet on election promise for Kingston SE childcare centre. Picture: Supplied

“The benefits that a new childcare service in Kingston SE would bring are widely understood and this issue can’t be ignored any longer,” Mr Pasin said.

“We’re all feeling let down at the moment. Labor need to follow through with their election commitment and give the Kingston SE community an assurance in writing that this funding will be provided,” Mr Pasin said.

Kingston SE Early Learning and Childcare Services Working Group Chair Kirsty Starling said the lack of formal commitment was frustrating and stalling work.

“We’re feeling a bit forgotten,” Mrs Starling said.

“We really need toshore up this funding, so we can move the project forward and go ahead with plans.”

Families in Kingston SE are struggling to place their children into childcare with many giving up as wait times explode. Picture: File

Mrs Starling said without a purpose built childcare centre families were struggling to get their kids into the town’s rural care service, which is attached to a kindergarten.

“Historically the waitlist has got up to 55,” she said.

“Lots of women in this town are resigned to the fact that they just can’t work once they have children.”

Early Childhood Education Minister Anne Aly was contacted for comment.