Kowanyama Primary Health Care Centre
Kunjun Street
Kowanyama Queensland 4071
Kowanyama Queensland 4071
Contact Details
| Phone Number | 07 4060 1533 |
| Fax | 07 4040 0499 |
| Website | www.flyingdoctor.org.au |
| Contact | Dr Dean Taylor |
Practice Summary
| Facility type | General Practice |
| ASGC-RA | RA5 - Very Remote |
| Practice Principal(s) | This clinic is a Qld Health facility with the medical support run by RFDS and visiting services shared between QH and RFDS. |
| GP Trainers | Drs Stephen Margolis, Minh Le Cong & David Cannon |
| Other Staff and additional services available in or near the practice | Nurse/s, Allied Health, Specialists |
| Number of consulting rooms | 5 |
| Number of treatment rooms | 1 |
| Dedicated GP Registrar Consulting Room? | True |
| Internet and Email available? | Yes |
| Clinic Hours | The clinical medical staff work 5 days per week but by nurses 7 days per week (office hours 08:00 - 12:00 and 14:00 - 17:00; 24/7 after-hours service provided by nursing staff). Essentially an office-based practice / public health role with no requirement for skills in aeromedical retrieval or procedural skills. Working week for medical staff is Monday to Friday i.e. 10 sessions. Not required to work on public holidays. There is no formal on-call role as the RFDS telehealth system takes the call from the clinic nurses after hours. The Registrar will only be required to attend after-hours if a true emergency where a 'hands-on' MO is essential. The Registrar will be allowed to take 2 weeks recreation leave during the 6 month term at a time when the RFDS relieving doctor is available [generally any time outside of Victorian school holidays]. Apart from flights at the beginning and end of the term, the Registrar and each member of his immediate family who reside in Kowanyama will be entitled to several return flights to Cairns. Where possible, the immediate family of the Registrar will be allowed free passage on the routine staff charter flights between Cairns and Kowanyama. Where possible, freight will be carried free of charge on the routine staff charter flights between Cairns and Kowanyama. |
| Fee Structure | The medical officer positions are all salaried. However, the patients are bulk-billed through Medicare with the funds going to the health care service providers to fund additional services. |
| Accommodation available? | Registrar resides full-time in Kowanyama for the duration of the 6-month term with their family if they wish. Registrar has sole occupancy of the RFDS house in Kowanyama with the exception of the Kowanyama MO supervisor on overnight visits and MO relief doctors during periods of leave. The house is a fully furnished 3 bedroom house on its own land with security fencing. RFDS provides in the house cable TV, dial-up internet, laptop, fax machine, fixed line and mobile telephone for business use. QH provides furniture, appliances, linen, crockery, etc. QH provides to the MO vehicle for work and limited private use. |
| Division | North & West Primary Health Care |
| Total number of Medical Practitioners | 1 |
Additional Information
- Special interest areas include Remote Indigenous community practice.
- Practice is suitable for registrars in GPT 3
- Kowanyama is located in western Cape York Peninsula around 300kms south of Weipa and 700km from Cairns. Meaning 'place of many waters', Kowanyama is located on the Mitchell River. Cultural and economic activity revolves around the Mitchll River and its resources, with its traditional story places and local fishing sites. Kowanyama has a population of close to 900 with three main language groups in the community which are defined by their relationship to the River. These are: Yir Yoront (or Kokominjen), Kokoberra, Kokoberrin, Yirthangedl and the 'Top End Mob' (Kunjen and Olkola). Kowanyama Mission - formerly known as Mitchell River Mission - was founded around 1917 by the Anglican Church. In 1964 cyclone Dora destroyed the Mission and state government funds were used to rebuild the community. Three years later the church handed control of the Mission to the then Department of Aboriginal and Islander Affairs. The Mission became a government-administered reserve known as Kowanyama, with European-style houses replacing the Mission's thatched buildings. In 1987 the community was given DOGIT (Deed of Grant in Trust) status over the Mitchell River Delta, an area of 250 square kilometres, and has since been governed by the community-elected Kowanyama Aborignal Council.
- This is a unique opportunity to gain invaluable experience in a remote Indigenous community by being part of a high quality and sophisticated health care service. The Registrar will enjoy quality accommodation, reasonable work hours, generous leave provisions, appropriate remuneration and extensive support both on the ground and through tele-medicine and tele-education programs.
