Town Loses Gp Service

Newcastle Herald

Friday October 14, 2005

By DONNA SHARPE

RESIDENTS of the Upper Hunter town of Aberdeen will launch an advertising campaign to find a doctor.

Residents were officially told on Tuesday night that a visiting doctors' service had been axed and patients would have to travel to Muswellbrook or Scone for medical treatment.

A meeting of the Aberdeen Progress Association and Chamber of Commerce heard Scone Medical Practice, which has supplied Aberdeen with a doctor 12 hours a week, was not continuing the service because it was no longer financially viable.

Scone Medical Practice did not return The Herald's calls yesterday.

Association secretary Lynne Walters said advertisements will be placed in medical journals in an attempt to attract doctors to the area to treat its 2500 residents.

Mrs Walters said the association would also put pressure on the Upper Hunter Council to build a purpose-built medical centre in Aberdeen.

"This has come at such a hard time with Aberdeen being one of the worst drought-effected areas in NSW," she said.

The association was only formed about four months ago. Its two main objectives are to promote the town as a great place to live and to recruit a doctor.

Mrs Walters said acting chief executive officer of the Upper Hunter cluster of Hunter New England Health Wendy Hordern told the meeting she would analyse the medical needs of Aberdeen residents.

"We started out with a doctor for five hours a day, five times a week, then it was cut down to 12 hours a week, now we have nothing," Mrs Walters said.

Residents will have to commute to Muswellbrook (10 minutes) or Scone (15 minutes) to get medical treatment.

© 2005 Newcastle Herald

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