A second private GP clinic has opened its doors in Katherine, further filling the gap in local health services.
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Katherine Family Medical Practice started treating patients on Monday, after Bauhinia Health opened in March.
After Katherine's sole private GP clinic Gorge Health closed in October 2020, more than 8000 people in the town were left without access to a doctor, however now they are relatively spoilt for choice with two clinics operating in the town centre.
Practice manager Melanie Usher said the opening day was "absolutely flat out" but the new health service was running smoothly as local residents rush to the practice for long awaited medical attention.
"The doctor is fully booked until Friday next week... but it's been only positive (feedback)," she said.
Mrs Usher said the practice currently has one part time GP on a short term contract, but they will be replaced by at least one full time doctor in June.
She said the practice plans to fill gaps in their services with temporary locum doctors, who can choose to stay on in Katherine full time at the end of their stint.
Working alongside the GP's will be a nurse practitioner, a type of medical profession Mrs Usher described as "quite new", who will offer prescriptions, pathology, referral services and other basic medical care at the clinic.
"A lot of what people visit a GP for, can be catered to by a nurse practitioner," she said.
Mrs Usher said Katherine Family Medical Practice is currently not offering COVID-19 vaccinations, because they have not registered to take part in the rollout.
However, she said the practice is "interested" in contributing to the nation-wide vaccination effort sometime in the future.
Mrs Usher said the new clinic will be a mixed-billing service, and the specialist treatments such as gynaecology that the practice will be able to offer, will be dependent on the skills of the doctors they recruit.
Melanie Usher is one of five Katherine business owners who have worked together to start the clinic.
The NT Primary Health Network operated an interim GP clinic after Gorge Health closed, to provide some relief until the permanent clinics were announced. .
Due to the opening of Bauhinia Health and Katherine Family Medical Practice, NTPHN closed the interim service in March.
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