The University of Sydney has a School of Rural Medicine up and running in Dubbo.
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I believe they are having good success in training doctors who eventually take up practice in rural Australia.
Rather than duplicate this in Orange under University of NSW why not put the resources into... the Dubbo School?
It is a fact that Orange has reached its population limit, it would seem, in that it can no longer guarantee water supply for the existing residents and the mines.
Why then increase the demand for water in Orange by the ever-increasing infrastructure and services being located there by government and look elsewhere in the state where services are non existent or lacking, and where there is an ample water supply?
Dubbo for instance!
As Professor Dwyer said: "I'm often amazed at the tolerance and complacency of rural Australians to the situation - they should be screaming from the rooftops and we're hoping that in an election year this inequity will strike up some political heat."
I could not agree more with the good professor, except for his proposed location for the Medical School of course.
Dubbo has had some recognition and improvement in health infrastructure since DOCAT formed in 2009/10 and made this city's residents aware of the non existent master plan for a new hospital and our lack of radiotherapy options for Dubbo and the western area.
It was not until then that we saw some activity from the state government and opposition to upgrading the Dubbo Base Hospital, that first stage upgrade is now under-way.
In the past we as a community have tended to sit back and wait for things to come to us rather than go out and lobby and fight for the services that most cities our size in this country take for granted.
It is time the Dubbo community and communities north, south and west of here came together and made our collective voice heard in Macquarie Street, Sydney and in Canberra.
Without comparable public infrastructure and services in Dubbo, private development will continue to be stymied.
Time to stand up Dubbo and let our politicians know what we want for Dubbo not what their parties want to drip feed us over the next 10 to 20 years.