Victorian Doctor James Choong might be retiring after 35 years but he's not hanging up his stethoscope just yet.
The 68-year-old, who retired in the last week of February as medical director of Eureka Medical and Dental Centre in Ballarat, will become a locum GP and travel throughout country Victoria giving local doctors the chance to take a holiday, complete further study or enjoy some time off.
The demand is so high for locum GPs that he will take on his first position in the coastal town of Paynesville, in Gippsland, within weeks.
"I thought I would have a few months of rest but the need is so great they have asked me to start my first assignment in two weeks in Paynesville, and I told them whichever country towns in Victoria needs a hand, I will go to," he said.
Dr Choong moved to Creswick in 2000 as the first candidate in a Victorian government recruitment campaign to attract doctors to work in regional areas, after working in Malaysia for 19 years.
He chose the position to provide GP services in Creswick and Clunes because he fell in love with Ballarat..
"I was given a few places in Geelong, the Dandenongs and Creswick and when I arrived in Ballarat I fell in love with it, and Creswick, and it was nearby for the kids to go to school in Ballarat," he said.
His three children were aged nine, 15 and 17 when they arrived, but unfortunately just six months after they moved his wife died suddenly.
"I'm glad we were here because of the first-class medical facilities, and the people in Creswick and Ballarat, the community wrapped their arms around us."
After seven years caring for the people of Creswick and Clunes, Dr Choong moved to the Eureka Medical and Dental Centre when it opened in 2007.
"I just wanted a change and they started this new big centre with everything ... so I started work at Eureka and I have not left. Of the original doctors who all started together, they have all left and I elected to stay behind on condition they let me have a say in how this place is run," he said.
From the initial eight doctors who started, they now have 21 providing care to an increasing number of patients and are always on the lookout for new doctors to join.
He is a strong believer in delivering accessible, high quality healthcare to everyone regardless of their background or financial status.
"We are a bulk billing centre and that was how we started and that's why I love this place," Dr Choong said.
"Affordable, accessible health care is for everybody and my heart says there's probably half of the Ballarat population who need health care and many can't afford it.
"We are still a bulk billing clinic so whether we see patients for 10, 20 or 30 minutes doesn't affect the patient and I like what we are doing because we can afford the time for the patient. To the doctors here I emphasise that giving patients the time of day is as important as the other skills we have."
The clinic opened just for walk-in patients with no appointments, but it got so busy they were forced to bring in an appointment system and recruit as many doctors as possible.
Closest to his heart are his older patients with complex health problems.
"I'm going to miss most of all the old folk I have developed a close relationship with. It's so hard to leave them," he said.
His last week of practicing in Ballarat has been emotional, with "a whole week of tears and hugs".
"I'm proud to say that today I think we have built this place to the equal of any practice in Ballarat. Nobody else opens Christmas Day, Easter and every Sunday ... we open 365 days a year and we are proud of that service for the community."
- This article first appeared in The Courier.
