27 October 2009
Inverell Hospital’s two general physicians have been well received since beginning their outreach visits to Inverell almost 12 months ago, according to Inverell Health Service Manager Kath Randall.
The physicians each visit Inverell one day per week (a total of two days per week) and have been supported by the highly-skilled staff and General Practitioners at Inverell Hospital.
Dr Sergio Diez-Alvarez and Dr Sudheer Ahamed both travel to Inverell from their regular base at Armidale Hospital.
Before joining Hunter New England Health, Dr Diez-Alvarez worked in South Africa as a general physician in both the public and private sectors for more than 10 years. He has extensive experience in intensive care and a special interest in diabetes.
Dr Ahamed has more than seven years experience working as a physician in public hospitals in Oman and India. He has a special interest in infectious diseases.
A general physician undertakes specialised training to become qualified to diagnose and treat complex medical problems in adults. They are different to general practitioners who are family doctors and they differ from single-system specialists who focus on one particular discipline.
The most recent figures collected by Inverell Hospital indicate that January and October this year, the two physicians have seen a combined total of 249 patients.
The physicians’ clinic is currently operating every Tuesday and Thursday, with stress tests available on both days. Stress tests monitor how your heart responds under the load of physical exercise, with the test being one of the most common methods used by physicians to detect underlying heart problems.
“Having Dr Diez-Alvarez and Dr Ahamed visit Inverell twice-weekly means patients no longer need to travel to Armidale, Tamworth or further afield for treatment, allowing them to spend less time travelling away from home and family,” Ms Randall said.
“The clinics are also now accepting patients from Moree, which significantly reduces the travel time previously endured by those patients. We are extremely grateful to these doctors for their willingness to share their skills with other facilities, especially Inverell, and we have received a great deal of positive feedback about the outreach service since it began last year.”
Bookings for appointments with Dr Diez-Alvarez and Dr Ahamed are taken through Inverell Hospital’s front reception by phoning (02) 6721 9500 (Monday to Friday).
There are now also two additional specialists visiting the Inverell physicians’ clinic. Geriatrician and Rehabilitation specialist Dr Gerald DeGabrielle has been travelling to Inverell from Armidale since August, and visits the clinic every second Wednesday. And Chronic Pain Management specialist Dr Garry Lewis also travels from Armidale once a fortnight.
Patients need to see their GP to gain a referral to see any of the physicians or specialists, with local GP surgeries aware of the referral process.
(HNE-2051)
Contact: Carisa Green
Phone: (02) 6767 7135 or 0428 106 183