Dr Attique Zafar was welcomed to the Ochre Health Deniliquin Medical Centre last week.
But he replaced Dr Deeptha Kumarasinghe, who left the medical centre to further his medical career.
It means there are still only six doctors based at the medical centre, which practice manager Tracey Savage said will not enable them to open the books to new patients yet.
But she said recruitment for new doctors was always ongoing.
“We might be able to take on new patients in time once Dr Attique settles in a bit, but for now, he is taking the overflow of patients we already have,” Ms Savage said.
“But we still encourage people needing a doctor to contact us, discuss their needs and get their names down on our waiting list.
“Ochre Health is always on the search for new doctors, so things are always changing.”
Deniliquin Local Health Advisory Committee vice chair Lourene Liebenberg said given there is no change in the total number of doctors servicing Deniliquin and district residents across all GP clinics, the capacity for any local surgery to take on new patients is relatively low.
But she said maintaining the same number of GPs is the next best thing.
To support the doctors who service both GP clinics and the hospital, Mrs Liebenberg said Murrumbidgee Local Health District is also consistently in recruitment mode.
Several nursing appointments have been made at the hospital, including in nurse unit manager roles, which have been vacant for some time, and she said locum doctors and agency nurses are also constantly being sought where needed.
“If we can maintain services, we are doing well because, in many small communities across Australia, some services are closing or being restricted,” Mrs Liebenberg said.
“And, of course, Deniliquin and the district still have access to the GP After Hours program, funded to run in our area until June this year.
“While data for this service cannot be shared publicly, what I have seen tells us that Deniliquin is among the highest users of this service.
“While we continue to advocate for funding to allow this service to be accessed by our community, we urge people to keep using it and continue demonstrating that need.”
Dr Zafar completed his medical degree in 2008 at the University of Health Science in Lahore, Pakistan.
He emigrated to Australia in 2010 and came to Deniliquin after two years working in Lightning Ridge, during which time he was named Ochre Health’s 2023 Rural Doctor of the Year.
Since coming to Australia, Dr Zafar has worked in several locations, and even after only one week, he said he feels quite at home in Deniliquin.
“Before Lightning Ridge, I was in Tasmania, working in almost every hospital there, and I have also worked in places like Yeppoon, Rockhampton, Chinchilla, Dalby, Ipswich, Darwin and Alice Springs.
“I also spent some time working between Mt Isa and Bathurst week-to-week.
“I feel like I have seen more of Australia than some Australians.
“I learned of Deniliquin through two doctors who used to work here - Dr Fasail Akram and Dr Shaz Ahmed.
“They said a lot of good things about Deniliquin.
“I am also a very big fan of Adam Gilchrist,” he joked, referencing the Australian cricketer who got his start in junior cricket while attending Deniliquin South School.
Dr Zafar moved to Deni with his beloved dog Tinko and hopes to be joined in Deniliquin soon by his six year-old son.
“It is a lovely, down to Earth and accepting community,” he said.
“It is the people who make the place; the reason I survived The Ridge was the people.
“I hope to maybe make Deniliquin my permanent home.”
While his work schedule in the past few years has allowed for little leisure time outside of work, Dr Zafar is an artist and said he also loves cricket and cooking.
• The HealthDirect GP after hours service is available weeknights from 6pm to 10pm and weekends and public holidays from noon to 4pm. There are no out of pocket expenses and the service can be reached on 1800 272 767. For more information, visit mphn.org.au/health-access.
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