Dr Khaled Bardawil, Dr Tahira Dosani and nurse Nichole Callan saw six patients during the first of the new monthly paediatric clinics in Lake Cargelligo. Photo: Supplied.
Medical charity Little Wings is looking to combat the huge waiting list of children needing paediatric care in Lake Cargelligo by flying a specialist to the town for regular clinics.
According to Little Wings, a charity that flies regional kids to hospitals, the number of kids waiting for appointments has ballooned to more than 400, with the number of kids believed to be needing care being even higher.
With wait times being anywhere between two and six years for residents in Lake Cargelligo, a local public school has championed calls for more to be done by partnering with the charity to have a paediatrician fly in to the town and visit patients.
As a result of a new partnership to address the issue, paediatrician Dr Tahira Dosani will visit the town once a month to meet with between six and 10 patients per visit to help reduce the long waitlist.
Children can be referred to Dr Dosani by visiting a local GP, asking for a referral, and having that referral forwarded to Lake Cargelligo Family Practice.
Parents and carers will then be contacted by the practice if an appointment is made available.
Little Wings CEO Clare Pearson said representatives from Lake Cargelligo Central School had been calling for more paediatric care in the town for the past 12 months.
“In the five years that Little Wings has been supporting regional towns, we’ve had several areas reach out and say it’s amazing that we have kids flown to hospital, but there’s need for more on-the-ground support,” Ms Pearson said.
“Lake Cargelligo has been one of those areas.
“Fortunately, we have been able to find a doctor, Dr Dosani, who has volunteered to fly out and provide some support.
“Last week, with the support of Lake Cargelligo Central School, we have been able to start offering the clinics, which will now be held monthly.”
Ms Pearson said Little Wings identified Lake Cargelligo as a town in desperate need following a 2025 NSW inquiry into regional health.
“That inquiry found that for many areas, their systems are in crisis,” she said.
“There are so many children who are going undiagnosed, and it’s causing long-term impacts on education, healthy relationships, ability to function independently, to work, and, of course, to contribute to community.
“It is a silent epidemic.”
Ms Pearson said the clinics wouldn’t fix things overnight, but would go a fair way in alleviating other systematic stresses.
“Dr Dosani has been absolutely unbelievable,” Ms Pearson said.
“These aren’t just any paediatricians that we’re working with; they’re really special ones, volunteering their time, committing long term to these clinics, and really wanting to make a difference in these communities.
“We would love to see more doctors commit to these types of clinics so we can really address these issues, but for right now, it’s a good starting point, and we know the Lake Cargelligo community is thankful.”
To learn more about Little Wings and the services it offers, visit its website.
