ONE OF Echuca Regional Health’s longest-serving doctors is set to retire this month.
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Over four decades, Dr Cam Hunt has seen the hospital evolve from being 12 GPs running the show, to holding its own in the region.
In that time, he’s delivered several thousand babies and over 200 of those babies’ babies.
“I still get a huge buzz from having someone who I delivered as a baby come in when they’re pregnant and deliver their babies in turn,” he said.
“The big thing for me about medicine is to make a difference to someone’s life, I don’t want to do care plans and diabetic plans and aged care plans, I just want to make a difference.”
Dr Hunt was born and raised in the Melbourne suburb of Glen Huntly and trained at Monash University.
After graduating in 1974 his first year of work was in Geelong as an intern, which took him on a rotation to Colac.
“That’s when the lightbulb went on for me because of the dynamic little GP down there who did everything – I thought this is what I want to do,” he said.
He spent four years in the UK training in obstetrics (pregnancy and childbirth) and anaesthetics.
“I had the view if you were going to be in the country you needed to be able to deliver babies,” he said.
“Because you’re by yourself you’ve got to be prepared to go the whole way if there’s a sufficient emergency.
“In modern times this has all changed, we’ve got the ingress of specialist medicines but in 1976 that was the way it was.”
In 1981 he returned to Australia and joined the Hare St medical practice before moving to the back of what was Hart’s Pharmacy at the time.
After a three-year hiatus in Melbourne he joined the Rich River clinic where he’s been since, commuting from Melbourne three days a week.
“It’s been a wonderful journey,” he said.
Dr Hunt had the traditional doctor-nurse marriage, with Pam, who he met when they were both working at Frankston Hospital.
“I was a resident and she was a midwife student,” he said.
“That’s when I disgraced myself. Those were the days when you had to wear white coats and stethoscopes – I was running to a birth and thought I’d jumped the ‘no visitor’ sign strung across the corridor, I caught my toe and me and everything in my pockets went everywhere, I broke my wrist, and she still married me.”
The couple had four children, Christopher, Katherine, Emillie and Jonathan, who all went to Echuca 208 Primary School. The family were heavily involved in the Echuca Moama Hockey Club.
When Dr Hunt arrived in 1981, there were 12 local GPs who staffed the entire hospital and were reached at their clinics by extension from the hospital.
“We had only two interns rotating from the Austin (Hospital). Now, I was on a ward round this morning and there were 11 people in the room – it’s a completely different world,” he said.
“It’s a huge cultural change. To try and get people to come to the country in the way we used to in the old days doesn’t exist anymore.
Dr Hunt was involved in introducing ultrasounds, epidural caesarean sections and the bikini cut c-sections to the hospital during his tenure.
“In anaesthetics, there’s only two drugs, still the same since 1981,” he said.
“So many things have changed and to be part of that change is amazing.”
Over the years Dr Hunt has (successfully) delivered babies in the parking lot and had young interns fainting during caesareans.
Despite highs and lows, he always kept coming back to Echuca and his engagement with the community was the reason why.
“It’s a nice little community; it’s where you see the whole spectrum,” he said.
“Unlike the city where you might live in a particular suburb with a particular socio-economic group, you have it all here, so you see the best and the worst and it makes you a lot more humble.”
ERH chief executive Nick Bush thanked Dr Hunt for his commitment over many decades.
“Cam has made a great contribution to the health service as our longest-serving doctor,” he said.
“He’s a true gentleman and loved by many nursing staff and patients.”
Dr Hunt will continue general practice at Rich River Health Group for “a few years”.
“I’m at the age where I think it’s time for the young to take over,” he said.
“The way we do medicine is changing and evolving – it’s a young person’s game now.
“It’s been a privilege to work in this hospital and I’ve particularly loved theatre, where we do all our caesareans and procedures, it’s a wonderful part of the hospital.
“It’s been a wild and enjoyable journey in Echuca.”
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