Hunter New England should appoint three health businesses into Gunnedah Rural Health Centre: Jamie Chaffey

That's according to Gunnedah Mayor Jamie Chaffey.

"Why do you need to choose between one of three submissions, choose all three. Cohabit it, put 12 doctors in tomorrow," he said.

"These are people that have put an expression of interest forward because they want to provide the service. If they are viable, credible operations, why do you want to choose one?"

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The health service announced this month it had received three expressions of interest to provide GP services in the centre.

Earlier this week, Cr Chaffey slammed the local health system as in a "crisis" state that is "not far off catastrophic".

"If you're serious about helping the community and fixing the doctor situation, choose three," he said.

The town is short about a dozen or so doctors, he said, leaving Gunnedah residents - including Cr Chaffey personally - without a regular GP, with unknown health consequences.

But the whole problem could be solved in one blow if HNEH were just to accept all three interested parties' expressions of interest and move all of them into the same building, he said.

HNEH were contacted for comment on this story, but referred the Leader to an earlier statement announcing the expressions of interest had been received.

In February HNEH said three applications would go before an evaluation committee for review in the coming weeks.

The aim is to have the successful applicant providing services from the centre in the coming six months.

It's unclear how many additional doctors will be hired through the process. GPs are typically a federal government responsibility.

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Cr Chaffey said the centre was built by the community in 2010 to accommodate 12 doctors in order to help resolve a longstanding "rollercoaster" of doctors coming to and leaving Gunnedah.

"The rural health centre was originally built to take 12 doctors to operate out of that facility," he said.

"It's a state-of-the-art facility which, at the moment, it's empty."

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