The appointment of two additional orthopaedic surgeons to Bathurst hospital will mean patients can receive care closer to home.
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Dr Peter Kilby and Dr Lachlan Host will provide additional services to the current visiting orthopaedic surgeons from Orange.
Bathurst Health Service general manager Sue Patterson said the community should be able to have its health care delivered as close to home as possible.
“We are pleased to have the capacity and skills to be able to deliver this care,” she said.
Dr Kilby has already started work in the fracture clinic and theatres at Bathurst hospital and Dr Host will join him early in the new year.
Ms Patterson said it had been a number of years since there had been orthopaedic surgeons on site at Bathurst’s public hospital.
“It’s a really significant enhancement for us,” she said.
Dr Kilby had his first list at Bathurst in July. He said prior to his arrival, patients had to travel to Orange or Sydney for treatment.
The new orthopaedic surgeon specialises in hip, knee and ACL replacements as well as trauma work.
Country born and bred Dr Kilby was born in Coonamble and went to school in Orange.
His wife Arabella has started casual teaching at The Scots School and the couple have two children aged four and one in day care in Bathurst.
His medical training was carried out at Royal Prince Alfred and Royal North Shore.
He then spent six months working in Portland, Oregon followed by stints in Orange, Dubbo and Lismore.
Dr Kilby said the training that doctors get in Sydney was world class and they bring that level of skill and technology to the region.
He also does lists at Bathurst Private Hospital and has a private practice called Castlereagh Macquarie named after the two rivers where he grew up. His rooms are in the Bathurst Specialist Centre at CSU.
Dr Kilby said what he loved about orthopaedic surgery was the satisfaction of getting people up on their feet again when they had been in pain for a long time.
“I like fixing people. You can change the course of someone’s life,” he said.
Member for Bathurst Paul Toole said the new appointments were a fantastic step in the right direction, adding it would ensure a lot of work will be done in Bathurst.
“This is exciting, It is something the community has been wanting for a long time,” he said. “The people of Bathurst deserve to have access to these services in their local hospital so they don’t need to travel. It’s great news for the community.
“The work done over the past months to ensure there are orthopaedic surgeons in Bathurst has been significant.”
He said a commitment was given to bring orthopaedic surgeons to Bathurst and the government has delivered.
“This is great outcome as result of community effort and it’s wonderful to see the health needs of the Bathurst community continued to be met,” Mr Toole said.
