The Tamworth hospital has become the first inland rural hospital to be able to install pacemakers.
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The hospital's new Pacemaker Insertion Service will save about 100 people a year a long journey to get the surgery for the lifesaving heart technology.
The procedure takes about 20 to 40 minutes, but was previously only available in Newcastle.
That's all thanks to Walgett-born Doctor Michael McGee, a cardiology specialist who will be the linchpin of Tamworth's new service.
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Dr McGee returned to the bush from Newcastle in early 2020 and has since set up the new service in the Tamworth hospital's cardiac care unit.
"Tamworth is the first place in rural NSW we're allowed to put in pacemakers, off the coast," he said.
"If you look at our peers like Orange and Wagga, while they're excellent and they have their own cath labs and have been able to provide excellent services for their local population, they haven't been able to provide a pacemaker service."
Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson said the new service was a huge win for the region.
He said patients had previously spent up to five days in Tamworth hospital waiting to be accepted at the John Hunter Hospital for the surgery.
"Patients from the New England North West can make a comparably short trip to Tamworth to have their pacemaker implanted and tested. If they're well enough, patients can return home the next day," he said.
Dr McGee said it was nice to be back in regional NSW.
He said local demand for pacemakers is "huge". They expect to install about 100 a year on average, but as the population both increases and ages, that number will likely increase, he said.
Mr Anderson said the new service will save time and money for regional residents, but it couldn't have happened without Dr McGee.
"It's quite simply the fact that we had a doctor here like Dr Michael McGee, ex-Walgett boy, wanted to come back to regional NSW, specialising in this sort of service.
"That's all it takes, someone with the passion, the drive to come back to regional NSW."
There are over 500 people in Tamworth with an installed pacemaker. Batteries wear out every decade or so, and require surgery to replace.
The service will install about 50 pacemakers this financial year, before ramping up.