A much-loved local doctor in Skipton will allowed to practice again after being locked out of the town’s hospital and health clinic for more than two weeks.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Beaufort and Skipton Health Service issued a statement on Friday saying Dr Mohammed Al Naima would be reinstated for two days a week while an independent review is conducted.
The doctor was locked out of the health service on August 9 amid a dispute over his Medicare provider number.
“Dr Al Naima can practice at the Skipton clinic as early as next week, once he provides the paperwork with his newly validated Medicare provider number to the health service,” the statement said.
The health service said Dr Al Naima had been working two days a week before the issue arose, but the community disputed this saying he had been consulting four days a week.
The community rallied to the doctor’s support, with a rally planned and an online petition amassing more than 430 signatures in less than 36 hours. But they were upset with a lack of communication from the board, with Dr Al Naima and the community only learning of the reprieve from the media.
“Two days a week is a great start but we would prefer if he came back to the hours he had been doing, which was four days,” said Nick Shady.
Have you signed up to The Courier's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in Ballarat.