The new Goldfields Health Centre has officially opened in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, expanding access to vital GP services in the community. The clinic, a partnership between Northern Star Resources and Royal Flying Doctor Service (WA), is open to all members of the Goldfields community, and will provide high-quality, accessible primary health care to the region.
Through this fantastic new clinic, we’re proud to work alongside RFDS WA to expand our student placement opportunities, giving our Goldfields UDRH students, and the next generation of rural health professionals, invaluable experience training together in an interprofessional primary health care setting.
The centre’s clinical director, Dr Ben Banwait, said he was proud to be a part of RFDS WA’s first permanent clinic, which was “more than just bricks and mortar”.
“It represents commitment, it represents the resilience of our community, and it represents the vision for the future of rural health care in WA,” he said.
“From the moment a patient walks through those doors, they will be met not just with clinical expertise, but with compassion, with understanding and with the care and respect for the challenges of rural living.”
He said he looked forward to welcoming students from GUDRH into the clinic, as training opportunities would potentially provide long-term benefits for the regional healthcare system.
“Those training here won’t just learn about the community, they will be invited to be a part of it,” he said.
“By training future health care providers in this community, we are building a sustainable model of care . . . One that encourages these practitioners to stay, to put down roots and be part of rural health care for years to come.”
