The health of Baradine’s medical service will be maintained following a timely resolution to concerns that the town could be without a doctor.   

The Baradine Medical Centre was under threat of possible closure at the end of the month, leaving residents without a local general practitioner. But a recent announcement from Dr Martin Hua stating he has decided to stay in the practice has delighted the community.

“I am looking forward to continue working in the Baradine community; I have been always been made most welcome,” said Dr Hua. “I really wanted a good outcome for the town.

“With the teamwork in the surgery and support from the community, I know it will work out well.

“I would like to thank the Coonamble health district and Aboriginal Health Service for their assistance and support over the past five years.”

The Baradine Aged Care Association, which owns the medical centre and doctor’s residence, are over the moon about the announcement.

“This is not a temporary decision; Dr Hua says he is prepared to stay for some time,”

Baradine Aged Care committee chairman, Paul Wangmann said. “This is a highly satisfactory outcome; we could not have asked for anything better.

“It was so important to ensure that our local medical services were not disrupted in any way and that they remained as stable as possible. We wanted to avoid residents being forced to travel to another town for treatment.

“All of rural NSW has a shortage of doctors, which has been ongoing for quite some time, so we are very pleased with Dr Hua’s decision to stay.”

The committee say that it is possible that the Baradine Medical Centre will need to close for a short period of time at the end of January whilst a new operational system is implemented.