For the first time in four years, Yura Yungi Medical Service Aboriginal Corporation no longer needs to advertise for a general practitioner.
The Aboriginal Medical Service, based out of the remote town of Halls Creek, now has two GPs thanks to the work of Rural Health West’s Workforce Solutions team.
The GPs are much needed additions to the town, with its most recent acquisition, Dr Lewis Rassaby, joining the team in April after a couple of false starts.
Rural Health West GP Workforce Consultant Leeanne Shaw said she had been working with Dr Rassaby since December 2021, but at the time he was not able to make the move due to WA’s border restrictions.
“Dr Rassaby had expressed interest in supporting one of the country’s most vulnerable communities, choosing Derby and Halls Creek as his preferences,” Leeanne said.
“We knew he wanted to work at an Aboriginal Medical Service, so we organised an interview with Halls Creek in February via phone and a few weeks later he was offered a permanent position.”
Unfortunately for Dr Rassaby, he encountered a setback after his home in NSW flooded for the second time in five years. It was the week he was due to fly to the Kimberley in April.
More than six months on, Dr Rassaby has settled in nicely and is providing the town with much-needed medical care along with another permanent general practitioner and a GP locum.
The other medical practitioners were also recruited with the help of Rural Health West, according to Yura Yungi Executive Manager, Chona Mae Garabto.
“It is all thanks to Rural Health West,” she said.
“We now have two GPs and a third GP courtesy of locum funding who also came to us via Rural Health West.”
Rural Health West Workforce Solutions Manager Beth McEwan said the team aims to match health professionals with communities that meet their professional and/or lifestyle aspirations, as well as placing health professionals who can fulfill the needs of the community.
“It has been an enduring challenge to recruit and retain GPs in permanent roles at Yura Yungi Medical Service Aboriginal Corporation. The harsh environment, limited access to goods and services and professional isolation has deterred many GPs from choosing to practise there,” Beth said.
“Halls Creek is also home to some of our most vulnerable peoples and the GPs we recruit there need to provide a mix of culturally appropriate chronic disease management and emergency care, as well as ensure any treatments or care plans can be managed in such a remote location.”
“We are extremely proud to have placed three such GPs into the Halls Creek community.”
Yura Yungi Medical Service Aboriginal Corporation was not the only location to benefit from the work completed by Rural Health West’s Workforce Solutions team. Despite the immense challenge of recruiting GPs to some of WA’s most remote regions, the team was able to successfully place 39 permanent medical practitioners into locations including Kalgoorlie, Karratha, Tom Price, Meekatharra and Manjimup during 2022