![NEW BEGINNINGS: Dr Surinder Singh and wife Anita outside their King Street Medical Centre. Dr Singh was posted to Warrnambool for a year but fell in love with the city. Picture: Mark Witte NEW BEGINNINGS: Dr Surinder Singh and wife Anita outside their King Street Medical Centre. Dr Singh was posted to Warrnambool for a year but fell in love with the city. Picture: Mark Witte](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/fdcx/doc76973fsh44p1lu36pgee.jpg/r737_288_5011_3133_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The addition of a new medical clinic in Warrnambool is good news for a city in the grips of a flu epidemic.
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Surinder Singh recently open the King Street Medical Clinic - 19 years after he moved to Australia from India.
He came to Warrnambool from Melbourne in 2006 as part of a one-year regional placement and fell in love with the city.
Mr Singh runs the clinic with his wife Anita, who is a diabetes educator.
"We'd been thinking about opening our own practice for quite a few years and we'd tossed and turned on the idea until about 18 months ago when we seriously started looking for a place," Mrs Singh said.
After finding a derelict house on a large block in the perfect location, the Singhs set about renovating the property to turn it into the medical practice.
Dr Singh will celebrate his 30th anniversary as a doctor next year and has specialised in general practice throughout his career.
He was previously a doctor at Gunditjmara Medical Clinic and Seaview Health Clinic.
![HIGH HOPES: Dr Surinder Singh in his office at the King Street Medical Centre. Picture: Mark Witte HIGH HOPES: Dr Surinder Singh in his office at the King Street Medical Centre. Picture: Mark Witte](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/fdcx/doc76973detf611jiyuhgee.jpg/r0_0_5184_3456_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Mrs Singh began her diabetes training after the couple's daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes seven years ago.
Podiatrist Tracy Smith will begin taking on patients at the clinic from August 13, while Tara Boyle offers cosmetic injectables on site.
"We've had patient support through the move and while it may have been a bit slow in the beginning it's definitely picked up," Dr Singh said.
"We already have plans to expand and hopefully that can happen next year."
The clinic opening comes after a warning from the Australian Medical Association (AMA) that communities face a shortage of doctors unless urgent action is taken.
It revealed there has been a 20 per cent fall in the number of doctors applying for GP training since 2015.
AMA president Tony Bartone said there had been a six per cent drop in the number of first year GP training posts filled since 2015.
He said GP registrars had reported a lack of parity with their remuneration and working conditions compared to other specialist trainee colleagues as they move out of the hospital environment. "We must work to ensure that general practice is a desirable career option," Dr Bartone said.
The Standard recently discovered it was extremely difficult to get a same-day appointment in Warrnambool.
A number of clinics said they had appointments available the next day or several days later, while others suggested going on an emergency waiting list.
However, in most cases these lists were reserved for regular clients of the clinic.
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