Tatura Medical Centre has been taking on patients from Shepparton, Mooroopna, Kialla, Kyabram and beyond as those towns’ local clinics have been unable to retain the doctors necessary to meet patient demand.
“We've been getting a lot of overflow, we’ve got a lot of new patients that have come from other clinics that aren’t able to help them at the moment,” practice manager Denise Caldwell said.
“There's been a couple of doctors in the Goulburn Valley area that have retired recently or are retiring very soon. So all those patients are looking for another clinic.”
With six doctors at the clinic, Denise said Tatura Medical offered as many appointments as possible and was fully booked every day.
“'We’re probably taking at the moment, I would expect, probably between 15 and 20 new patients a week,” she said.
In addition, the six doctors at Tatura Medical Centre support the Tatura Hospital by seeing their patients and caring for residents in local aged care homes.
“We're trying to do what we can because doctors are so light on the ground at the moment,” Denise said.
“And it's not a new problem for the Goulburn Valley; it's been a long-term problem, trying to attract doctors to the Goulburn Valley has been a problem for a very long time.”
Throughout the doctor droughts, Tatura Medical’s doctors have been stalwart members of the community.
“One of our doctors has been here for 30 years. And other ones been here for 22 years, then another one's been here for 20 years,” Denise said.
The clinic itself has been providing healthcare to families for almost 60 years, in that time seeing multiple generations of Tatura residents.
“Parents came here when they were kids, and then they bring their kids,” Denise said.
“And now, their kids are starting to bring their kids.”
Tatura Medical Centre is a private practice, meaning there is no bulk billing. However, the clinic does bulk bill for children aged under 16 and offers discounts to pensioners.
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