HAWKINS Medical Clinic has expanded its services and footprint in Mount Gambier with the opening of its new off-shoot centre on Pinehall Avenue.
The general practitioner clinic this week opened the doors to Hawkins@Pinehall, which is housed in the refurbished former eye centre.
Four doctors from the Sturt Street clinic will see patients at Pinehall Avenue on a four-week rotational basis.
This is expected to create additional appointments for patients who wish to see their regular doctor.
Hawkins practice manager Dale Beatty yesterday gave The Border Watch a tour of the new facility ahead of tonight’s official opening.
Mr Beatty said the former eye centre had been refurbished to accommodate doctors and patients, as well as visiting specialists.
“A new cohort of four registrars started last Monday at Hawkins, which allows us to bring some doctors out to Pinehall,” he said.
“Our plans are to rotate groups of four doctors for four week periods from Sturt Street to Pinehall Avenue.”
He said this arrangement should free up doctors to see their regular patients given there would be no on-call or emergency-type work at Pinehall.
“At Sturt Street, all doctors participate in dealing with on-the-day demand,” Mr Beatty said.
“So they will have more appointments to offer their own patients.”
Importantly, he said the expansion meant there would be additional doctors working in Mount Gambier offering expanded services.
Hawkins will now have 24 doctors working in Mount Gambier, which is the highest number the clinic has secured.
“We are still recruiting. We have another doctor in Adelaide who we hope will join us in three or four months – as soon as the paperwork is finished,” Mr Beatty said.
The training practice is also speaking with two additional doctors and was pleased four registrars had joined the practice this year.
“Before they come to us, they have finished their medical degree, undertaken one to two years in a hospital as an intern – they can then go into medical practice,” he said.
“Some come with more experience than that and they then work under the supervision of nominated supervisors within the practice.”
Moreover, he said the clinic was also working to entice visiting specialists to Pinehall.
“In addition to our GPs, there is a plan to have a dietician working at Pinehall two days a week and a specialist paediatrician who wants to do some private consulting here three to four days a month.”
Mr Beatty said the clinic would also accommodate visiting ear and throat specialists, which may include one specialist operating at Mount Gambier Hospital.
“We would not have been able to offer facilities to those doctors without expanding,” he said.
Plans are also under way to open a women’s health clinic at Pinehall.
Mr Beatty said he was pleased the purpose-built former ophthalmology centre – which closed in December 2016 – was once again being used for medical services.
Hawkins@Pinehall centre will be officially opened tonight by former long serving Mount Gambier GP Dr Doug Brown, who will visit from interstate.
Dr Brown was a partner at Hawkins Clinic between 1962 and 1999.
