Closure of rural practice ups ante

HEALTH Minister Jeremy Rockliff is working to reassure community members in the rural town of Ouse and surrounding Central Highlands area that efforts are being undertaken to ensure they don’t lose access to healthcare services.

Mr Rockliff (pictured) said the Department of Health was considering how the state government may be able to support an alternative provider to operate in the area, including through the continued provision of free premises.

“Tasmania’s rural workforce agency HR-Plus has already been engaged to seek interest from alternative providers who may be interested in providing a service to this community.”

The Central Highlands Medical Centre in the rural Tasmanian town will close at the end of October because staff won’t adhere to the state government directive requiring all medical workers to have at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine before October 31.

The general practice in Ouse has more the 1200 patients who are now seeking alternative arrangements and the closure will put added pressure on already stretched nearby services.

The small medical centre in Bothwell is about a 30-minute drive from Ouse and has been inundated with calls following news that the centre was closing. The Derwent Valley Medical Centre in New Norfolk is another alternative residents are turning to.

The Ouse practice provided a dispensing service and residents will also have to travel out of town to get their scripts filled.