Within weeks, patients of the Finley Medical Centre will have access to bigger and better facilities.
Plans are being finalised to begin operations at the new $2.2 million, purpose-built centre before the end of this year.
The new building features improved access and comfort.
It also has a high sustainability rating, with the building running totally on off-grid power.
Finley Regional Care chief executive officer Ben Levesque said the new and "very energy efficient“ facility is located in Scoullar Street, Finley, at the rear of the hospital and existing Finley Medical Centre.
Planning for the new Finley Medical Centre has taken quite some time, due to those responsible for the project wanting to ensure the correct amenities were provided for now and into the future.
“We have been looking for a suitable site for five years,” Mr Levesque said.
“When an opportunity for funding from the Murray Darling Basin Fund became available at the end of 2020 we applied and began having the plans for the building drawn and costed.
“With the works commencing at the end of 2021.”
Funding for the development involved a $1 million commitment from the MDBF, with Finley Regional Care contributing the balance.
"We hope to see the new building operating in the middle of December,“ Mr Levesque said.
"We had hoped to have had the opening by now, but due to poor weather there was some delay.
“We would like to do it this year, but it may need to be next year.”
The upgraded medical centre has nine consulting/allied health rooms and a treatment room.
"In the new year we will have five GPs working out of the building, as well as regular allied health practitioners and visiting specialists,“ Mr Levesque said.
“The new Finley Medical Centre is much larger than the existing one.
“It has much more space in the waiting area, including a second waiting area.
“There is a lot of natural light, with it being purpose-built, and we will have more air flow and facilities that will provide comfort and patient flow.
“We have more rooms, allowing to have more practitioners there regularly servicing more patients.”
Mr Levesque said consultation was undertaken about requirements for now and into the future, mainly with the team at the current Finley Medical Centre and designers that have had experience in medical centre construction.
All existing medical staff will be transferring to the new facility, with some new team members to be added.
There were a number of construction delays that have resulted in a later opening to the new Finley Medical Centre than originally planned.
Mr Levesque said weather conditions slowed the external works in the last month or so.
“Initially supplies were difficult to source, and we had to be creative and try and plan ahead and pre-order or purchase supplies in advance you would not normally during construction,” he said.
“This was a flow on from issues of coming out of COVID restrictions, and the building boom created some delays.”
Mr Levesque said some building permits were also delayed due to the increased pressure placed on the Berrigan Shire Council as a result of the pandemic.