Cynthia Robins, Corryong Courier

Corryong Health provides the community with a medical clinic during business hours Monday to Friday, yet it has been eight months since a permanent General Practitioner (GP) has been available.

While the critical service currently relies on a continuous rotation of GP locums, concerns for continuity of care are real and well understood by the health service, according to CEO, Cynthia Robins.

“Recently WIN News highlighted the very real risk of when a locum contract falls through at the last minute, reviving concern from the community,” she said.

“Attracting a fully qualified GP to a small rural and remote community however, is met with the fierce, more attractive competition of urban and regional centre opportunities.

“Globally, there is a medical workforce shortage, so how do we compete?

“We can offer accommodation support, an attractive salary and a welcoming community, yet we still need to exceed our competitors.

“When a GP position is advertised, Corryong Health is flooded with applications from doctors living overseas and are overseas trained.

“However, while it is not impossible to employ an International Medical Graduate (IMG), there are a number of processes and strict supervision requirements that they are required to complete before becoming a fully accredited GP in Australia,” Ms Robins explained.

“At the moment, Corryong Health needs a permanent, fully qualified GP to support the training pathway of an IMG or any other Doctor-in-Training.

“It is a ‘cart before the horse’ scenario.

“Ultimately, the questions is will they stay?

“Once upon a time, GPs moved to small rural communities and built their life around their committed vocation as a rural doctor. They were ‘everything’ to the community, the general surgeon, the obstetrician, the person who supported the raising of families and the passing of loved ones.

“In our contemporary world, doctors want what everyone else craves – work life balance. Doctors no longer wish to donate 100 hours a week to their community.

“The issue we face is how do we change our expectations?

“Corryong Health knows and understands that it is our role to source GPs, provide a connected service and respond to community need,” Ms Robins affirmed.

“How that is delivered in reality today however, will undoubtedly always look differently to the past.

“Our best outcome is to find a GP who commits to their rural experience for three to five years. Their role while they are here is to work business hours for direct consultations with the community and if needed, review our aged care residents and respond to an urgent presentation in the Urgent Care Centre (UCC).

Work force skills being upgraded

“After hours and weekend work is excluded from their coverage, to ensure work, life, balance,” Ms Robins said.

Corryong Health continues to provide an afterhours service through the UCC supported by registered nurses 24 hours a day.

As a Multipurpose Service, the service’s urgent care is not funded to have rostered doctors, yet the introduction of the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED) in 2024, has improved service delivery.

“Access to VVED has significantly reduced the number of transfers to Albury Wodonga Health,” Ms Robins said.

“Importantly, as Corryong Health continues on a journey to source and secure permanent GPs, we are actively growing a local workforce of Nurse Practitioners registered nurses with an extended scope of practice and ability to assess, diagnose and treat acute and chronic conditions.

“While we work to build our talented medical and nursing workforce, we value ongoing feedback from the community as it helps us to strengthen our service.

“In the meantime – feel free to connect with all of your friends and family members across the country to find a doctor for us!” 

This article appeared in Corryong Courier, 25 June 2026.
Related story: Medicare hinders rural recruitment