Great Southern doctors recognised for their long service to regional medicine at Rural Health West awards

Doctors from around the Great Southern were recognised for their unwavering commitment to regional medicine at the WA Rural Health Long Service Awards last week.

Albany’s Dr Ian Leggett from Southern Regional Medical Group, locum general practitioner Dr Bill Plozza and Denmark Medical Group’s Dr Hector Faulkner all received awards for 30 years of service.

Awards for 20 years of service were presented to Pioneer Health’s Dr Donald Gunning and Dr Andrew Knight, as well as Dr James Leighton from the Aberdeen Medical Centre.

Doctors and medical staff from across WA travelled to Perth for the annual awards ceremony, hosted by Rural Health West and the WA Country Health Service on September 9.

The awards aimed to acknowledge the “critical role long-serving medical practitioners play in supporting the ongoing health, vitality and sustainability of rural communities”, according to Rural Health West.

Rural Health West chief executive Tim Shackleton said the long service of the doctors had helped ensure the ongoing viability and vibrancy of country towns.

“A longstanding local doctor who knows and understands the community and the families they care for makes a tremendous difference to the health and wellbeing of their patients,” he said.

“Collectively these medical practitioners have provided nearly a millennia of medical care throughout rural WA.

“These doctors have made enormous individual and collective contributions to the broader country community and we are honoured to celebrate their achievements through these awards.”

Dr Faulkner and Dr Plozza both received their awards in person, while Dr Leggett was unable to attend the ceremony.

The two doctors were congratulated and their biographies were shared with the audience on the night.

“Dr Hector Faulkner is the practice principal at Denmark Medical Centre and having worked as a GP in Denmark for more than 25 years, he is a respected figure within the community and was acknowledged for his service to medicine with an Order of Australia Medal in 2019,” a Rural Health West spokeswoman said on the night.

“Dr Faulkner says being a country doctor means caring for patients from birth to death, which he believes is the greatest example of true continuity of care.

“He enjoys teaching medical students and registrars, and passing on the flame of the ancient and mysterious ‘art of medicine’.

“Outside of work, you’ll find Dr Faulkner passionately supporting the Dockers, collecting and grooving to vinyl, or paddling out to catch a wave — sometimes with his patients.”

Dr Plozza was also commended for his long service to the region.

“Dr Bill Plozza graduated from the University of WA in 1979, before working in the Great Southern from 1992 to 2016,” the Rural Health West spokeswoman said.

“In recent years, Dr Plozza has provided locum support throughout the State and he feels this benefits both the local GPs and their patients, who would otherwise need to travel to neighbouring towns.

“He says being able to deliver all aspects of family medicine, including admissions and in-patient care is just one of the things he loves about working in rural medicine.”