'Better than Melbourne': new clinic promises to attract GPs to the Border

Moving to McFarland Road after 17 years at Beechworth Road, Elmwood Medical Centre has expanded its practice from 10 to 18 rooms, including one dedicated to surgeries.

The number of GPs has also grown from seven to eight, with more expected to join soon.

Practice manager Gareth Grover said the centre's "cutting-edge technology" and spacious rooms were comparable to clinics in Melbourne or Sydney.

Besides skin cancer checks, the mixed billing clinic will also offer services such as Mirena and Implanon removals, and excision biopsies.

"All the rooms are developed by the doctors themselves as well - even their tables are made as per their recommendations," Mr Grover said.

"But it is also patient centred. We have a pathology lab next door which will make life much easier. There will be a few specialists joining us, and there's a possibility of a cosmetic clinic from Melbourne coming in as well."

Mr Grover believes the new infrastructure and technology will attract new doctors to the region.

"We have had a lot of GPs that have come and left because they want to go to Melbourne and Sydney," he said. "So the idea is, OK, we give them what Melbourne and Sydney has, then the possibility of them leaving drops substantially.

"This can also become a training centre for junior GPs. And with the new infrastructure, we'll be able to attract a lot of registrars, a lot of newer doctors who would have, in the past, rather have gone somewhere else."

With the capacity for on-site surgery and the promise of walk-in appointments, Mr Grover expects the centre to alleviate some of the pressure on Albury hospital's emergency department.

"It is going to help the community," he said.

"And it will reduce ED pressure as well because we have the ability to see a patient the same day that they book.

"Due to a larger space and more rooms, we are able to offer appointments within a day to patients, with no wait times.

"If the patients are struggling to get appointments elsewhere, we are happy to help the community and get them to a doctor within a day."