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Speaker 1: Three sixty with Katie Wolf thanks to Joyce Main Dowin

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Speaker 1: Homes owned Stuart Highway, Beermo.

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Speaker 2: Well, we know for quite some time in Catherine there

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Speaker 2: were concerns when the GP service had closed Busha in

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Speaker 2: some wonderful news we know that a private GP clinic

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Speaker 2: has opened its doors in Katherine. And joining me on

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Speaker 2: the line to tell us how it's all going, Catherine

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Speaker 2: Family Medical Practice Manager Melanie Usher, Good morning, mel.

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Speaker 1: Good morning, Katie. Good to talk to you again.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, you too. Now you opened your doors on Monday,

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Speaker 2: as I understand, how's it all been going?

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Speaker 1: Really well? Thank you. Yes, there's been lots of people

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Speaker 1: wanting appointments, so we've had full books for our doctor

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Speaker 1: and our books are filling fast for our nurse practitioners.

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Speaker 1: So it's been very positive.

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Speaker 2: Oh, that is good to hear. How did you go

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Speaker 2: sort of recruitment wise in terms of filling all those

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Speaker 2: positions to open the doors.

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Speaker 1: Yes, So we've been really fortunate that the docor that

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Speaker 1: is here is someone who has worked in Catherine before,

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Speaker 1: and we got in contact with her because we knew

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Speaker 1: she wanted to help out, and so she's made it

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Speaker 1: possible for herself to come up for four weeks to

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Speaker 1: give us a hand and make sure Catherine's got doctors

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Speaker 1: for at least a little while we are still recruiting

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Speaker 1: for more doctors. There's still a lot of work to

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Speaker 1: be done, and we do have we do have a

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Speaker 1: full time doctor starting in June. But so yeah, there's

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Speaker 1: still more work to be done, but we're very fortunate

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Speaker 1: there are a lot of people out there that want

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Speaker 1: to give us a hand and make sure we have

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Speaker 1: access to doctors.

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Speaker 2: Well, that is good to hear, and I guess it's

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Speaker 2: always it can be quite difficult to recruit to different

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Speaker 2: parts of the Northern Territory anyway. But you know, when

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Speaker 2: you're looking at trying to get people to locate, would

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Speaker 2: to relocate, I should say, it can be sometimes a

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Speaker 2: tough sort of decision for people to make with their families.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, that's right. So we've got a doctor who I'm

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Speaker 1: hoping is coming up in June, another one who's coming

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Speaker 1: to see if his family with his family to see

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Speaker 1: if they want to move here and if they will

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Speaker 1: move here. So that's essentially what wanting to do is

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Speaker 1: get them here, show them a fantastic time, how wonderful

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Speaker 1: our community is and everything and hope that they fall

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Speaker 1: in love with the place. And today, oh.

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Speaker 2: That is wonderful and mel, so plenty of people have

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Speaker 2: been in to see the GP and also the nurse

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Speaker 2: practitioners over the last couple of days.

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Speaker 1: Yes, yes, that's right. We've been run off our feet,

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Speaker 1: particularly on Monday when we opened, and of course, you know,

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Speaker 1: had our technical teething problems that means you've actually opened

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Speaker 1: a business. But it's been great. Yeah, We've seen lots

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Speaker 1: of people and everyone's been really happy just to have

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Speaker 1: access to a doctor and a nurse.

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Speaker 2: Oh good stuff. So you'd say the first week so

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Speaker 2: far is going quite smoothly.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, well, i'd say quite smoothly.

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Speaker 2: Oh well, Mel, I'm really glad that you guys have

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Speaker 2: been able to open the GP service there and hopefully

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Speaker 2: you're able to recruit those full time doctors that you

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Speaker 2: are after. I know that it's tough sometimes with those

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Speaker 2: types of jobs, particularly in these COVID times as well,

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Speaker 2: when our health practitioners are so very much in demand. Yeah.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and you know you've got also the issues of

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Speaker 1: locans coming from interstate. So until Dr Kaufman actually landed

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Speaker 1: in the territory. I was concerned that there would be

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Speaker 1: a hotspot declaration if I wouldn't have her.

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Speaker 2: Well, I'm glad she's there. Oh well now sure. It's

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Speaker 2: always good to catch up with you. I really appreciate

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Speaker 2: you having a quick chat with us this morning, and

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Speaker 2: please to hear that the practice has opened.

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Speaker 1: No worries. Thank you very much, Katie, thank you