Medical superintendent appointed for Ingham

A North Queensland local with a passion for rural medicine has been appointed medical superintendent for the Ingham Health Service.

Dr Emily Vagg has been acting in the medical superintendent position and has now taken on the title permanently.

“I’m thrilled to be appointed medical superintendent for the Ingham Health Service, I’ve been in the position for quite some time now and I’m happy I can provide some consistency for the team,” she said.

“In high school I knew I wanted to become a rural GP, I loved the idea of the broad scope of practice and being able to provide that full cycle of care from birth until end of life.

“That’s why when I finished my study in Townsville, I moved to Weipa in Cape York where I spent three years working across a variety of fields including general practice, emergency medicine, aged care, and Indigenous health.

“After I had my first child, we decided to make the move to Ingham to be closer to family and I’ve been part of the team here ever since.

“I love my job and I think we live in paradise, so I’m very excited to be able to continue in this position.”

Emily said she was looking forward to working with the staff to build on the teamwork within the health service.

“I am so appreciative of the support of everyone within the health service and I’m eager to continue to support and enhance the work we deliver for the community.

“Ingham is such a close-knit team and I want to build on this, improving our teamwork and collaboration, so that all staff go home at the end of the day feeling satisfied because we have provided the best care that we can."

Director of rural health Dr Matt Bryant said Emily’s appointment as medical superintendent was fantastic news for the Townsville HHS and Ingham.

“I’m delighted to see a Townsville local complete their medical degree at the local university, do rural generalist training, and then spend time in a remote community before returning and taking up such a critical leadership role here,” he said.

“I remember supervising Emily for some of her anaesthetics training, and I have every confidence in her skills, knowledge, and abilities.

“Emily is now one of the few women occupying a senior medical leadership role in Townsville and is a wonderful example for all future women in medicine aspiring to take on a leadership position.”