Day 191, Tuesday, 6 October, 2009

Mingenew

Mark was still not very well this morning so we decided to stay the day in Mingenew.

After a visit to the local Silver Chain Medical Centre and a dose of cold and flu tablets we spread a groundsheet under the shade of a tree and followed the shade for the rest of the day. We noted that even though he had the aches and pains of flu, Mark did not have the head cold that normally comes with it.

Silver Chain is a not-for-profit organisation that provides community, clinical and health services in Western Australia. Mingenew is classified as a Remote Area Nursing Post and has a single nurse practitioner who opens the centre for consultations 9.00 to 4.00 Monday to Friday and then provides the 24 hour emergency service. A doctor attends half a day a week. In between attending to each patient the nurse was answering and responding to enquiries coming in on the phone. Amongst the busy waiting room we were amazed at the calm and polite way every phone call was handled in what must be at times a very difficult operation for a single nurse. Mingenew is a great example of how our governement’s struggle to provide medical services in both remote and urban Australia.

Zoom into the map and use the 'Satellite' layer to see our new location.

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