The announcement that a key medical service is pulling its funding from Gilgandra and Warren in the coming month is as terrifying as it gets for local councils in the midst of a health crisis, but Gilgandra is proof that hope is not lost yet. 

Last week Rural and Remote Medical Service (RARMS) announced that their last day in Warren, Gilgandra and other towns across the state would be September 30th, with the costs of maintaining locums in local towns proving too difficult to sustain. 

RARMS CEO Mark Burdack said that while the GP practices they support should be set up to be sustained by the community and local council, keeping their doors open won’t be guaranteed. 

“The discontinuation of the RARMS Program does however mean that these communities will be exposed to significantly higher risks if there is a long vacancy in the role of a permanent GP,” Mr Burdack said. 

In a meeting between Mr Burdack and the Gilgandra Shire Council, Gilgandra Mayor Doug Batten said they fortunately came to a productive conclusion that could save the Warren Road Medical Service that is in jeopardy. 

“There’s a total of four (GP Clinics) that are interested in taking over the practice, which is a really good outcome. I’m confident that the doors will stay open on the 4th of October,” Cr Batten said. 

While councils are tasked with the responsibility of providing health services for a town, Cr Batten said that the Gilgandra Shire Council is in no position to run a clinic. 

“We know nothing about running health services, and after hearing some of the comments today, I really have no interest in getting into that field,” Cr Batten said. 

Both Cr Batten and Walgett Shire Council Mayor Jane Keir - who could still see the disappearance of RARMS from Collarenebri depending on grant availability - the current policies around visiting medical officer (VMO) rights make it impossible for clinics to survive without that status. 

“The majority of our problems for local government are related to policies of the state and federal governments interested in changing the rules and showing very little regard to the country people,” Cr Batten said. 

He related the issue to the recent decision from the Federal Government that rezoned priority locations for doctors, making attracting doctors to regional towns even harder. 

“That’s just another death note for doctors in the country,” Cr Batten said. 

So far, no decision has been made as to which clinic will take over management of Warren Road Medical Service, which is home to Dr Patrick Giltrap, Australian of the Year who has worked there for 35 years. 

While without the RARMS clinic Gilgandra would still have three more, Cr Batten said that it wouldn’t sustain the demand from the community. 

In Warren, they would be left with two, although the fate of the Warren Medical Centre hasn’t been established. 

In Collarenebri, RARMS is working to secure grants to continue the practice there, as well as working with private health providers, Murdi Paaki, the government and local community.

RARMS is in discussions with Warren and Gilgandra councils about the future of those clinics and will donate medical equipment and technology as part of the process.