Officially opening the medical centre were Chioma Ike, Dr Emeka Ike, Berrigan Shire Mayor Julia Cornwell McKean and Aileen Phelan from Tocumwal Local Health Advisory Committee. Photos by Carol Kennedy/Southern Riverina News.
At least 50 community members gathered outside the premises at 55A Deniliquin St recently to celebrate the opening of Tocumwal’s newest GP clinic.
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With much applause and fanfare leading up to the ribbon-cutting, the Wednesday, April 9 event drew a crowd of residents and representatives from various organisations across the Berrigan Shire.
Doctors@Tocumwal co-owner and general practitioner Dr Emeka Ike addressed the assembled crowd.
“We have been so loved by the town, and I want to thank all of you,” he said.
“It’s quite emotional, to be honest, to see everyone here.”
Dr Ike's healthcare passions lie in the areas of skin checks, mental health and geriatric health - an apt combination considering Tocumwal’s median age of 60 years is almost twice that of the national median.
He will also be the first doctor to work in the Tocumwal Hospital since COVID-19.
Dr Dons Azike, Dr Emeka Ike, Chioma Ike, Chloe Butterfield, Simone Bath, Jeanette Wakefield and Gayle Netherwood.
There was a range of delectable slices, cakes and refreshments on offer as Berrigan Shire Mayor Julia Cornwell McKean expressed her excitement about the new clinic.
“It’s a groundbreaking day for us here in Tocumwal,” Cr Cornwell McKean said.
“I bang on about health equity and the city-country health divide over and over again, and to have a brand-new doctor’s surgery with multiple doctors, and with visiting privileges at the local hospital, is a real turning point in advancing health equity in the community.”
Cr Cornwell McKean welcomed the announcement that a general practitioner like Dr Ike will also work in the nearby hospital.
“There’s a lot to be said for virtual healthcare, but if you do find yourself needing to be admitted to the hospital, if you find that you’re being attended to by your own GP - the person who knows your history, who you know and trust - it’s going to make your health outcomes far superior to maybe being served by someone you just don’t know.”
The second GP clinic in the town of over 2500 and growing, Doctors@Tocumwal accepts bulk-billing on general consultations.
In what has been touted as an Australian first for GP clinics, the Ikes have also got their hands on Swift Microwave Technology to remove potentially cancerous skin lesions.
The technology boasts an efficacy of 85-100 per cent resolution, and treats warts (verruca/papilloma), Molluscum Contagiosum, and solar keratotic lesions like actinic keratosis.
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