New permanent GP clinic to open in Katherine after Easter
A PERMANENT GP clinic accessible to all patients will be launched in Katherine after Easter, the NT Primary Health Network has confirmed.
Northern Territory
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A PERMANENT GP clinic accessible to all will be launched in Katherine after Easter, the NT Primary Health Network (NT PHN) has confirmed.
It comes after the town’s only GP clinic for non-Indigenous as well as Indigenous residents, Gorge Health, closed its doors on October 28, leaving the majority of residents unable to visit a doctor in town.
Instead, non-Indigenous residents had to go the Katherine Hospital emergency department, rely exclusively on Telehealth, or drive three hours to Darwin to access GP care.
The NT PHN set up an interim GP service in November, which experienced high demand. NT PHN spokesman Paul Connolly revealed the upcoming opening of the new service on ABC Darwin yesterday morning.
“A group of five local business people have come together to set up this practice,” he said.
The organisation is expected to provide further details about the new clinic on Friday.
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Australian Medical Association of the NT president Robert Parker said a permanent GP clinic would dramatically improve healthcare service access in Katherine.
“The AMA would be very supportive of a high-quality primary care service for Katherine,” Dr Parker said. “Everyone’s entitled to good quality primary care for their health.
“The Aboriginal population are well-serviced by the ACCHOs (Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations) in the town – Sunrise and Wurli-Wurlinjang – but Katherine needs local high quality medical care for everyone, for their general health needs and the management of chronic illnesses such as diabetes.”
Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) chief executive Peta Rutherford said Katherine deserved to have a permanent local GP presence.
“To have a GP clinic in a community the size of Katherine is absolutely critically important,” she said.
“With the prevalence of chronic disease and other health conditions that exist within rural and remote Australia, the GP is absolutely at the heart of providing quality and comprehensive care to communities like Katherine.”
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Ms Rutherford praised the NT PHN, Katherine Hospital and health professionals in the town for their commitment.
“I think there’s an opportunity to create a sustainable GP environment there now, and there may be opportunities … for training and for really good clinical experience for doctors, especially for junior doctors who will hopefully stay in Katherine in the longer term as well,” she said.
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