Doctor moves after 33 years at practice

His Mungavin practice may be closing, but doctor Larry Jordan isn’t ready to hang up the stethoscope just yet.

After 33 years in Porirua East, Jordan has decided to close his solo practice and combine with Whitby Doctors at the end of the month.

‘‘It’s a combination of my getting a little bit older and I’m needing to pace myself and not work so hard,’’ he said.

‘‘This is so I don’t have to retire. My aim is to keep practising for a good while longer yet. I can’t keep on working 60 to 70 hours a week and not fall over.’’

No 16 Mungavin Ave has been a medical practice for about 60 years, so it would be a big change for the community, Jordan said.

‘‘It’s a big upheaval and I have mixed feelings about it because it’s been a great 33 years. This has been a fabulous community to work in.

‘‘It’s an end of an era and certainly for some people it’s sad and a bit of a challenge for their doctor to be further away.’’

With the change comes the logistics of moving 1800 patients to either the new practice or a new doctor.

About 1700 of Jordan’s patients will be following him. Those who cannot get to Whitby are being taken on elsewhere.

It will be a longer work commute for Jordan, who lives in Ranui.

‘‘I’ll still be living here and part of the community.’’

Jordan came to Porirua as a young doctor to do vocational family practice training.

‘‘I loved the area. The people here are great, the medicine is interesting, the health challenges are considerable. It was just really engaging and I never wanted to be anywhere else.’’

Some of his patients have been with him through four generations of their families.

Jordan at one point was making regular house visits to a nun and Mongrel Mob member living in the same street.

During more than three decades Jordan has seen many changes in Porirua. ‘‘The community has matured. ‘‘There are still a lot of young families round here, but now there are a lot of households where there are quite a few elderly.

‘‘Porirua is much less of a wild west now, even though it still has its socioeconomic challenges. It has grown up, you might say.’’