Progress is being made to improve medical services in Waverley but residents are holding out hope that things will still get a lot better.
The Waverley Health Watch committee has been meeting with Wanganui-based Te Oranganui Health Authority to work out ways to improve GP coverage.
The town has been without a permanent doctor for some time and has been managing with sporadic locums services.
But Jo Byam, who chairs Waverley Health Watch, said the problem was they never knew when the doctor or nurse would be in surgery.
Waverley's issues were highlighted when Taranaki District Health Board announced plans for radical changes to services provided at Hawera Hospital. The plans were debated at a public meeting early last month.
Mrs Byam said Te Oranganui had resolved at least one issue at a subsequent meeting.
"There was nothing really organised in terms of regular GP coverage for our town. It was not having enough notice of when a locum would be in the town.
"But now Te Oranganui has published surgery times in the local community paper."
For the rest of this month there will be a doctor at the surgery one full day and two half-days a week.
"And they have promised that in September we will have a GP on hand two-and-a-half days each week," Mrs Byam said.
"However, it's not always the same doctor and that leaves people confused."
Mrs Byam said Waverley would "love" to have a fulltime doctor "but we're realistic and know that's probably never going to happen".
"But if we could just know there's going to be a GP there every Monday, Wednesday and Friday we'd be happier."
She said another major problem was helping those locals, including the elderly or infirm, who were without transport. Local volunteers were available to help transport people to Wanganui for their appointments "but this is purely voluntary and the drivers are not paid for it and don't get any petrol reimbursement".
She said they were grateful for a bus service that the Taranaki District Health Board provided, transporting people to Hawera. However, there was only one return trip a day and that meant a long wait for patients after they had seen the doctor at the Hawera clinic.
Mrs Byam said the health watch committee would meet again with Te Oranganui on August 24 to get another update.
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
Latest from Whanganui Chronicle
'Best use of print': Special edition of newspaper wins global publishing prize
The special edition provided vital updates to the cyclone-smashed region.