Gunnedah mayor Jamie Chaffey has called for an "urgent investigation" of what he calls "inaction" by state health authorities to reopen the town's rural health centre.
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Hunter New England Health (HNEH) took over management of the Gunnedah Rural Health Centre some 14 months ago, promising to establish a GP clinic in the facility.
But, the Gunnedah mayor said there had been no progress in resolving the town's doctor shortage crisis, despite a number of offers to operate the clinic.
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"It is heartbreaking to watch this state-of-the-art facility lay dormant while our residents are forced to travel hours for basic medical services," he said.
"To put it simply, enough is enough.
"GP services are desperately needed in our community and it is my opinion that unless immediate action is taken by HNEH, the centre should be taken back by the Commonwealth and redistributed to an organisation that will commit and deliver on the provision of GP services."
Executive Director Susan Heyman said that HNEH remains committed to delivering additional GP services in Gunnedah.
"We are currently in active discussions with two interested parties," she said.
Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton backed the mayor's comments, telling the Leader he was "frustrated" by the delay in getting a doctor working in the $6.7 million facility.
As then-minister for rural health Mr Coulton signed an agreement for the local health district to operate the facility on August 7, 2020.
The MP said he did so in the belief HNEH had the "muscle" to get the job done.
"I backed them to try to do this on a permanent basis but I also think they've had the ability to put doctors in there in the short term. They're a very, very big organisation," he said.
"I just find it a little bit incredible that it's taking so long to through that process and I'm wondering what sort of a priority it actually is for them."
On Thursday, Cr Chaffey wrote to both the state and federal ministers for health calling for a "comprehensive investigation" into the local health district's negotiations regarding the service.
"There is a lot of concern in the community. I think at the moment we've got four GPs for a town the size of Gunnedah," Mr Coulton said.
HNEH Executive Director Susan Heyman told the Leader in February that reopening the centre could take as long as six months. The Gunnedah council demanded HNEH expedite the process as a matter of urgency, at the time.
Gunnedah has the worst doctor-to-patient ratios in the Hunter New England area, and locals don't have good access to primary health services according to a council study of the community. Without local GP services, locals use the emergency room at the town's hospital as a makeshift GP clinic.
Cr Chaffey said just a single private general surgeon and two skin cancer doctors use the facility, the former just one day a month and the latter quarterly.
Built in 2012, construction of the centre was paid for by a $4.3 million Commonwealth government contribution, plus $2.4 million in fundraising contributed by the Gunnedah community and business sector.
The rural health centre closed after its last doctor resigned from the service in 2019.
Mr Coulton has also written to federal health minister Greg Hunt and is monitoring the situation, he said.
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