Brewarrina welcomes new Doctor
Brewarrina’s new resident GP is highly accomplished and has big ambitions for his new community, but Dr George Zhang also has his feet firmly on the ground.
Dr Zhang chose Brewarrina as his new practice after much research on numerous regional communities all crying out for resident GPs.
It was Bre’s sense of community and the tight knit and efficient medical centre and hospital that saw him sign on the dotted line.
Brewarrina is now home for Dr Zhang and his wife Arianne, and he said they couldn’t be happier to contribute to the health and wellbeing of Brewarrina’s residents.
It’s a long way from Dr Zhang’s former base in the ACT, but he said he already felt at home and was keen to address some of the challenges facing the community – access to services and the shortage of other health professionals across the region.
His medical career began at the Australian National University. His academic achievements are considerable, with entry selection into the undergraduate course in medicine requiring an ATAR of 99.95. His accomplishments include a Doctor of Medicine and Surgery degree, and a bachelor’s in philosophy with first class honours.
At ANU he also worked in various fields, including with the CSIRO and the research schools of biology and chemistry.
Dr Zhang then spent three years as an emergency doctor at Queanbeyan, Canberra and Calvary hospitals.
“Bre came about after a chance encounter,” Dr Zhang said. “I had several friends in rural communities and one day I met up with one of them who told me how rewarding rural GP practice was.
“I started doing locum shift work in small hospitals along the South Coast and I really enjoyed it and when the opportunity to come out here came up, I thought it would be a great way to experience rural life, and that it would be very fulfilling.
“I didn’t just head out here though – we did our research. My wife and I visited Dubbo, we went to the Rural Medical School in Sydney and chatted to academics about the Far West Local Health District, the demographics, and the health network here.
“We then did some side visits with the Ochre Health recruitment team and were offered positions in Bourke, Walgett and Lightning Ridge as well, but Bre ticked all the boxes.
“It is a small, tight knit community and everyone works together well.
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