Stopgap surgery up and running

Patients can now make appointments to see a doctor at Masterton Medical Centre's temporary rooms set up in the Work and Income building across the road from the fire-damaged building on Lincoln Rd.

The super-centre was extensively damaged when fire ripped through the ceiling of the building last Tuesday as the last patients were being tended to before closing just before 7pm.

Since then staff had been offering reduced services for people who needed urgent or acute medical attention.

From today, patients can make routine appointments again but will be seen in the temporary clinic.

Masterton Medical Centre general manager Paul Cocks said this was an abridged service offering most services to patients.

"We are running at 70 per cent capacity and we are trying to replicate the systems and services we offered in our other building. We will try to book patients in to see their usual doctor, although because we have had to juggle rosters and rooms we cannot guarantee that."

Extra staff will be on phone triage and afterhours service while the emergency department at Wairarapa Hospital is for emergencies only.

With limited space at the temporary clinic, consultation rooms with partitions on level two have been set up. There is also a triage area on the ground floor to manage the flow of patients up to the clinic.

There was now a separate treatment bay with three extra treatment rooms set aside for acute patients, Mr Cocks said.

Over the next two weeks the practice will be open from 8.30am until 6pm.

There was a building available on the hospital site but it would need refitting, he said.

"It will be some months before our previous building is refitted, and so we are exploring relocation options with the DHB ... we need to sort out computer, phones and power needs first." Meanwhile, some services have shifted to other locations with Before School Checks now being done at Whaoira in Park St and the To be Heard Programme will see MML patients at Compass Health in the Winz building.

It is business as usual for the Masterton Medical Pharmacy and Medlab at 27 Lincoln Rd.

Te Rangimarie, Masterton Medical's marae clinic in Cole Street has extended its hours and will now be open for consultations from 8.30am-4.30pm on Thursday and Friday.

Mr Cocks said they had been inundated with offers of help and support.

"We have had overwhelming support from the community and really appreciate the many messages we have received. We thank our many patients who have called, other practices, the DHB, and all those who have offered support. Cleaning up after the fire is well underway.

"We are doing everything we can to get our regular service back to normal and staff are working hard to keep everything as normal as possible.

"We have set up a Facebook page to let the public know what's happening and information is also on our website."