Doctors Jana Wan and Jordan Colless have arrived at Lithgow full of passion and ready to address the community's health concerns at Ochre Medical Centre.
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Rural and regional medicine is a familiar concept for Doctor Wan- who is from Gladstone in Queensland.
Doctor Wan said she always knew she wanted to pursue medicine because she was inspired through watching her GP father serve their rural community.
"I wanted to experience rural medicine, because I really like the sense of community and closeness," Dr Wan said.
"As a doctor in a rural community, you get to play a much bigger role, and it can be really fulfilling. So I wanted to experience that."
A career in medicine wasn't something Doctor Colless considered until he began studying it at the age of 30, when he felt the need for a challenge.
Doctor Colless saw practicing in Lithgow as an opportunity to explore the uniqueness of rural medicine and to explore a family connection to the region.
"Even though I'm new to the area, my great grandparents are from here, and my grandma was born here. It was a good opportunity to revisit my ancestral roots," Dr Colless said.
"It was also a good opportunity to experience a bit of regional medicine, which is very different to other parts of Australia, especially the metro areas."
Both Doctor's are already gaining insight into the health issues that are impacting residents of the region, which highlights the need of further services for the Lithgow area.
"There's a lot of chronic diseases, things that people will last maybe a lifetime or has to be dealt with over a long period of time," Dr Colless said.
"Things like diabetes, in particular, obesity, things that you really can't just manage with a GP need a wider team to also help care for that."
Specialist services and allied health is really limited. Here the GPs manage a lot more themselves," Dr Wan said.
"Patients either have to drive far, pay privately, or just go without for services, and I can see how it can create a lot of health disadvantages."
Doctor Wan and Doctor Colless both said they are looking forward to working and living in the region and getting to know their patients and other residents.
"I'm looking forward to experiencing country life. Just a bit of quiet compared to the hustle and bustle of the city, and traffic and how expensive everything is," Dr Wan Said.
"I'd like to get to know the town a bit more. Explore the streets, get a feel for the history of the area and maybe experience some of the nature that's on offer," Dr Colless said.
Reidun Berntsen
Reidun is a Journalist and writer who lives in a country town 3 hours from Sydney, Australia. From a young age, Reidun has been in love with words and the infinite possibilities they bring. Stories, features and poems have been a major part of her writing career.
Reidun is a Journalist and writer who lives in a country town 3 hours from Sydney, Australia. From a young age, Reidun has been in love with words and the infinite possibilities they bring. Stories, features and poems have been a major part of her writing career.
