FORMER Intensive Care Unit, Emergency Department and Critical Care director at Tamworth Rural Referral Hospital Dr Philip Hungerford is a 2023 recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).
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The former chair of NSW Health's Rural Critical Care Committee is being recognised for his service to emergency medicine.
The 67-year-old has also worked in New Guinea, Burma, the Solomons, East Timor and the Pacific developing emergency services.
He has worked for fairer access because of the health inequities in rural Australia.
"It's never sat comfortably with me, that inequity, the myth that we all get the same health care in Australia," he said.
"We don't."
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"That was a question when I first started out, and it still hasn't been solved," he said.
Originally from the Blue Mountains, family connections brought him to Tamworth in 1991 - along with the promise of a challenging job in a regional centre, and the chance to build something from scratch.
An emergency specialist since 1992, Dr Hungerford established the 24/7 Critical Care Committee in the New England Northwest, the Telemedicine Service in Tamworth, and taught Emergency Life Support courses from 1997 to 2018.
Dr Hungerford is proud of the fact that when he arrived in Tamworth, there were no emergency specialists and no intensive care specialists.
"And I've kind of built those services up," he said.
"Of course I've had a lot of help along the way."
He now works in palliative care, after tiring of being on call and exhausted all the time.
The effect he has left behind on his field has been fixing problems, and building teams.
"I left behind a really good team in emergency and in intensive care," he said.
"I'm grateful for the career and the opportunities that I've been given.
Despite his achievements, he still doubts he is worthy, "I feel like I was doing my job.
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Eva Baxter
Eva is a Northern Daily Leader journalist based in Tamworth. She covers health, politics, energy, arts & entertainment, business, community, and a bit of everything else.
Eva is a Northern Daily Leader journalist based in Tamworth. She covers health, politics, energy, arts & entertainment, business, community, and a bit of everything else.
