Ochre Health welcomes another permanent doctor to Tassie’s West Coast

Leading rural medical network Ochre Health, in partnership with the Tasmanian Health Service, is responding to the doctor shortage in rural and regional areas of Tasmania by welcoming a new GP to Queenstown and Rosebery this month.

Dr Khaled Mohamed, a GP with a strong background in emergency medicine, has recently started practicing at Ochre Health’s Queenstown and Rosebery medical centres, providing a much-needed permanent doctor to service both communities.

His arrival will greatly enhance the services offered by both practice’s medical and nursing staff, as well as provide essential on-call assistance to the Community Nursing Centre in Rosebery and the West Coast District Hospital and the Lyell House Aged Care Residential facility.

For the last four years, Dr Mohamed has worked in the emergency department at Kurri Kurri Hospital, in the NSW Hunter Valley region, and says that he has “learned invaluable lessons and enjoyed the challenges” from his 14 years’ experience in emergency.

“Having moved from Cairo to the Hunter Valley, I feel that I have adjusted well into living and working in a rural community. It’s the Australia that I am familiar with and that I love, which is why I’m thrilled to bring my expertise and knowledge to Tasmania’s West Coast region.”

He adds, “It’s reassuring to know that I am working alongside other great doctors in the area to help to improve rural health outcomes in communities where it is needed most.”

Dr Mohamed’s arrival at Ochre Medical Centre Queenstown means that the practice will have four permanent doctors as he joins Dr Dennis Pashen, Dr Matt Despot and Dr Robert Dickson, who began practicing with Ochre earlier this year.

Amanda Shea, Practice Manager at Ochre Medical Centre Queenstown, says: “We’re delighted to welcome Dr Khaled Mohamed to our team. Along with Dr Dickson joining us earlier this year, it means that we now have four permanent part-time doctors in our practice. This is very positive news for our community and the people that have been visiting our practice for many years.”

Molly Rumbold, Practice Manager at Ochre Medical Centre Rosebery, echoes Amanda’s thoughts: “Dr Mohamed’s arrival at our practice will be extremely important in ensuring that our patients have more stability and continuity of care. It also means that our regular GP, Dr Chris Whitney, will have more help and will also be more available at Ochre Medical Centre Zeehan.”

She adds, “Dr Mohamed’s extensive experience in emergency medicine will also be crucial to further enhancing the facilities at our practice, given the need for better access to emergency services for patients along the West Coast.”

Dr Mohamed graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery from Cairo University in 2005 and worked extensively as a GP in emergency medicine at the Defense Industry Medical Centre and in the Egyptian Armed Forces, before moving to Australia.

Dr Mohamed will be based at Ochre Medical Centre Queenstown and Ochre Medical Centre Rosebery, rotating fortnightly between the two practices. To book an appointment, call the Queenstown practice on (03) 6495 1523 or the Rosebery practice on (03) 6495 1613. Alternatively, book online using the orange button.