Innovation is key to country success for this rural doctor

Meet Dr Samir Heble, the Director of Psychiatry for the WA Country Health Service (WACHS).

Samir first joined the WACHS team in 2011 after training in his home country of India and climbing the New Zealand health sector ranks.

Starting in the sunny South West, Samir took on the role of Clinical Director of the region’s Mental Health Service and then became the Director of Medical Services for Bunbury Regional Hospital.

Now, he leads the WACHS Mental Health Emergency Telehealth Service and oversees all seven of the State’s regional mental health teams to ensure high quality mental health support is provided to the rural communities of WA.

Samir believes the unique challenges faced in regional medicine are opportunities for innovation, as well as personal and career development.

Moving to Western Australia and building a Career in WACHS

In 2011 when visiting the South West region, Samir said it was the staff’s enthusiasm and passion that initially drew him in.

“It was amazing because the staff were very passionate about their patients and contributing to the local community.

“Everyone was extremely generous and genuine, they really made sure I was taken care of during my stay.

But according to Samir, it’s not just the country hospitality which makes working for WACHS so great, it’s the abundance of professional development opportunities available.

“Working rurally develops your clinical leadership skills and your ability to manage competing priorities and encourages the development of collaborative networks, because of the wide range of different presentations.

“My day would consist of a combination of clinical, operational and strategic roles, all across the South West region from Busselton and Margaret River and across to Pemberton.

“Since the rural population is distributed across a large area, we face different challenges than our metro counterparts.”

“Regional healthcare is about developing innovative solutions to ensure comprehensive services, we must think creatively, think laterally, develop linkages, communications and connections.”

In 2022, Samir took on the role of WACHS-wide Director of Psychiatry, widening his support to frontline staff across all seven regions of WA.

Opportunities for rural clinicians.

For the past 18-months WACHS has worked to establish a comprehensive program to deliver end-to-end training for mental health specialists with the Rural Psychiatry Training WA team.

“The training provides clinical and formal supervised training experiences in rural generalist psychiatry.”

“We are continually in search of consultants and leaders who are passionate about training the future psychiatry workforce and assisting WACHS grow our own.”

In addition to end-to-end training WACHS has developed a number of initiatives across regional WA to support front-line mental health staff to provide tailored care to patients.

These include the direct hotline between Albany GPs and WACHS psychiatrists, the Mental Health Co-Response in the Midwest and South West and Mental Health Emergency Telehealth Service across 87 country health sites.

“These have been beneficial to the patient, the psychiatrist, GPs and the public as well, because patients are getting the best care where and when they need it,” Samir said.

Benefits of working in regional WA

“Besides the career development, working in the country helps me be in touch with the different lands in WA. Every region allows you to discover, explore, meet new people and see new types of landscapes,” Samir said.

“Working at WACHS allows me to think creatively by working outside the box and this role allows me to use my strengths to explore, invent and create.”

“Across WACHS, you’ll feel supported by the whole leadership team, the clinicians, central office, our patients and carers. We see ourselves as one big family who are there to help each other!”

To find out more about working with WA Country Health Service contact our Medical Recruitment Team at WACHSDoctors.Senior@health.wa.gov.au or visit our medical vacancies page for current opportunities.

Alternatively join the WACHS LiveHire Medical Talent Community to be the first to hear about upcoming locum and longer term opportunities.