Doctors start in Nhill and Kaniva

Nhill residents will have access to three fully qualified general practitioners following a fiveyear contract between West Wimmera Health Service and Rural Doctors Pty Ltd.

West Wimmera Health Service announced Rural Doctors would start providing services to Kaniva and Goroke communities, ending a period of health-service uncertainty.

Rural Doctors has also started as the sole provider of general practitioner services at Nhill.

West Wimmera Health Service chief executive Ritchie Dodds said the Nhill contract would provide doctors to patients at Nhill Hospital and Iona Digby Harris Nursing Home residents.

Rural Doctors is also leasing the service’s Nhill Medical Clinic to provide bulk-billing GP services, with the number of full-time doctors to increase to ‘at least three’ in coming months.

Mr Dodds said the announcement was good news for the Nhill community.

“It will bring an end to uncertainty surrounding GP services for the foreseeable future,” he said.

In October, West Wimmera Health Service gave existing provider Tristar Medical Group notice to terminate its contract to provide medical services to the organisation’s Nhill and Kaniva facilities no later than January 31, 2020.

Mr Dodds said the service was working with Tristar and Rural Doctors to ensure the changeover between the two services was as smooth as possible.

Mr Dodds said people could call Nhill Medical Clinic on 5387 9900 and Kaniva Medical Clinic on 5323 5770.