Gunnedah in north-eastern New South Wales has long suffered a chronic doctor shortage but the community hoped a multi-million-dollar rural health centre built nine years ago would change that. 

Over the ensuing years, the centre's management repeatedly failed to retain doctors for the practice.

Then, in August 2020, the facility's lease was awarded to the local health district — on the proviso that it would secure GPs for the centre. It hasn't.

Gunnedah Mayor Jamie Chaffey says it's not good enough and the community deserves better from the Hunter New England Local Health District (HNELHD).

Cr Chaffey wrote to the state and federal health ministers and demanded they open an investigation into the shortfall.

Federal member for Parkes Mark Coulton initially backed HNELHD to run the facility, but now says its failure to attract doctors has been disappointing.

"Hunter New England Health are a very large organisation, one of the reasons I supported them was I would've thought they'd have the ability to put GPs in there reasonably quickly — but that hasn't been the case," he said.

Mr Coulton supported Cr Chaffey's call for an investigation and said he could not understand why the LHD had not delivered on the provision.

'Everyone put their shoulder to the wheel'

The town's Rural Health Centre was seen as a panacea to the doctor shortage, and the community threw its support behind getting it built.

The federal government gave $4.3 million to the project, and the residents raised the remaining $2.4 million by holding cake stalls and through generous donations.

"Everyone took it as their responsibility to do something about fundraising," Cr Chaffey said.

"They reached that amount of money that was required to build that facility by hard work, by putting their shoulder to the wheel.

"Now Hunter New England Health have that facility, and it's incumbent on them to make sure they provide that service."

Gunnedah resident Kylie Walton said it was devastating to see the "state-of-the-art" centre empty.

"It's a huge space, it's beautiful and brand new … the waiting area is huge, so it's made to accommodate so many people and so many doctors and so many specialists, and it's just being used for run-of-the-mill stuff," she said.

Residents travel hours for GPs

Ms Walton is one of many residents in town who travels hours to see a doctor. She has a family of five and doesn't drive — meaning her partner has to take a day off work, or she has to take the train an hour south to Quirindi.

She said it had been impossible to find a local doctor, despite having a difficult pregnancy, heart issues and diabetes.

"I was a very high-risk pregnancy, I was hospitalised several times with premature labour and my blood sugars were up and down. I was having dangerous lows where I could've passed out and gone into a diabetic coma at any point," she said.

Ms Walton said she did not blame the doctors in Gunnedah for her predicament, as they had been highly sympathetic to her situation, but their books were full.

Her now one-year-old son Elijah cannot see a doctor in the community he's growing up in.

Gunnedah doctors under pressure

Dr Jon McKeon served Gunnedah in general practice for 14 years and retired last year for his own wellbeing. He said the town's doctor shortage was a key factor in that decision.

"I had my own mental health issues and they reached a peak, and as I started to get better I decided it was better for me not to go back," he said.

Dr McKeon said what was happening in Gunnedah was symptomatic of a bigger issue, and it was difficult to pinpoint a solution to change the trend of GP shortages in rural centres.

"I think as well as a lot of carrots to entice doctors to come and work in the country, it might be time that we reconsider whether geographic provider numbers are a good way to go," he said.

"As a doctor you have to have a provider number to gain benefit under Medicare … but at the moment, the doctor gets to decide where they're going to set up practice and where they're going to work for the rest of their life.

"And unfortunately, that generally entails being 10 kilometres or less from the ocean or in a capital city.

Dr McKeon acknowledged this was not a desirable option, but said so far other incentives had not worked.

Services 'a long way short' of expectations

Hunter New England Health said in a statement it "remains committed" to providing more GP services to Gunnedah, and is currently in active discussions with two interested parties.

The health district has so far secured a private surgeon who works in the centre once a month, and two skin cancer specialists who work once every quarter.

But Cr Chaffey says that was not good enough.

Federal Regional Health Minister David Gillespie said he appreciated the mayor's frustrations.

"The Australian government expects HNELHD to draw on their broad resources to ensure it delivers against its commitment to the local community," Dr Gillespie said.