Integrated health services now open
After six years of wanting better health services for Ranui the Ranui Medical Centre is being officially opened today.
It’s been a long wait for Ranui Medical Clinic doctors John Lindsay and Chris Smith to bring integrated services to the area and the concept will be available to patients this Monday.
Building on the $4.5 million two-storey centre commenced in January after Dr Lindsay and Dr Smith sought financial help from East Tamaki Healthcare and Johnstone Group builder Malcolm Johnstone, who have both invested in the centre.
It’s complete with seven consulting rooms and will be run by an initial team of three nurses and four doctors from Ranui Medical Clinic and Ranui Family Medical Centre.
The total number of doctors will increase to six over six months to extend opening hours to 24/7 and Saturday mornings.
Dr Lindsay says the centre will give patients access to a range of healthcare options in one location.
‘‘The problem with Ranui is that many of our patients don’t have adequate transport so any amount of travelling makes it very difficult for them. To provide services within the suburb means a great saving in both cost and time for these people.’’
He says Ranui is home to a large low socio-economic population with high needs who in the past has been deprived of the healthcare other Auckland suburbs received.
‘‘Working in Ranui is like being on the edge of the universe and it takes light years for services to extend here,’’ he says.
‘‘In the past Ranui has been the poorer cousin to many other areas that didn’t deserve the services that Ranui did and patients have been deprived of much of what they should have had.’’
The centre will house at least 10 health services including midwifery, physiotherapy and mental health.
There will also be a pharmacy and dentist onsite.
The centre will operate on both a walk-in and appointment basis where patients can be seen immediately depending on the urgency of their need. The walk-in system is believed to reduce waiting times.
Dr Smith says the centre will still enable loyal patients, some of whom have been coming for 35 years, to receive personal appointments from the doctors they know and trust.
‘‘We’re on to the third generation in some families now,’’ he says.
‘‘There has been a certain amount of anxiety in some of our older patients who need to be reassured that our style of medicine won’t change.
‘‘The most important thing is patients want to see the doctor they know and within reasonable time and we are still going to offer that.’’
The centre is built to cater for Ranui’s projected growth of a further 10,000 people in the next five years and is still open to new enrolments.
Proposed future ventures for the clinic include a cafe and library.
Appointments are free for patients up to 17 years while it’s $15 for enrolled patients.
Initial opening hours are 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday.