Health experts believe waiting lists in Wyndham will improve following the opening of a GP super clinic in Wyndham Vale.
The $15 million clinic, funded by the former Labor federal government and operated by ISIS Primary Care, was opened last Wednesday.
The clinic includes GPs, dental care, occupational therapy, sexual and reproductive health services, social work and family support programs.
It will also provide bulk-billed and after-hours services to reduce the load on hospitals.
Business development manager Cass Quilty said Wyndham Vale Super Clinic would help meet the medical needs of Wyndham’s growing population.
“Without this service, residents’ healthcare would have been severely disadvantaged in the future,” she said.
“Services were already overstretched with a shortage of GPs, coupled with a growing population [from] an increasingly changing and diverse demographic.”
The super clinic was opened by opposition leader Bill Shorten, opposition health spokeswoman Catherine King and Lalor MP Joanne Ryan.
Last year, the Weekly reported that a study commissioned by western suburbs councils, Western Health and LeadWest revealed Wyndham had a high instance of obesity and cardiovascular disease, which was linked to a shortage of GPs in the area.
Ms Ryan said the clinic was sorely needed, with more than 70 babies born in Wyndham each week and 15,000 residents moving to the municipality in the past two years.
» The super clinic is at 510 Ballan Road in Wyndham Vale. Phone: 9216 7777.
