Our Services

Dunedin South Medical Centre is a family practice located at 351 King Edward Street in South Dunedin. Book an appointment, view your test results or order a repeat prescription through Manage My Health. A normal appointment with your doctor is 15 minutes, though you may request a longer appointment at an extra cost if required. 

Dunedin South Medical Centre provides family health services, sexual health, medical certificates, smoking cessation advice, immunisations (including for travel), diabetic assistance and advice, heart health appointments, nurse consultations, and a fortnightly skin clinic. Find out more about some of our specific services below.

Aclasta Infusion 

Aclasta Infusions are used in New Zealand for the treatment of osteoporosis and Paget’s disease. Aclasta is also known as Zoledronate or zoledronic acid is given by an intravenous infusion into a vein in the arm over 15-30 mins every 12-24 months, as needed for the treatment of osteoporosis. It can help prevent bone loss, and lower the risk of spine, hip and bone fractures from small bumps and falls.

B12 injection

Vitamin B12 (also known as cobalamin) is an essential vitamin required for the healthy functioning of nerves, blood cells and DNA synthesis. Vitamin B12 deficiency is most commonly caused by not eating vitamin B12 from foods or poor absorption due to a lack of intrinsic factor – a substance produced in the stomach that is necessary for absorption. The most common form of B12 replacement is via an intramuscular injection because the body doesn’t readily absorb oral B12 supplements. 

Blood Pressure

High blood pressure, known medically as hypertension, affects up to 1 in 5 New Zealanders and is a significant contributor to the incidence of heart disease and stroke. It’s advisable to have your blood pressure measured regularly, during your routine visits. High blood pressure is preventable and treatable, through lifestyle changes and medications.

Cardiovascular Disease Risk Assessments

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is responsible for 40 percent of deaths (often premature and preventable) in New Zealand. A heart risk assessment can work out your risk of a heart attack or stroke based on factors such as your age, sex, ethnicity, cholesterol levels, smoking history, blood pressure, medical history (such as diabetes, and current heart problems) and family history. For more information, see www.heartfoundation.org.nz/your-heart/my-heart-check

Cervical Smears

All women who have ever been sexually active should have regular cervical smear tests every three years between the ages of 25 and 69. This includes women who have been immunised against HPV. This test detects abnormal cells which, if left untreated, could become cervical cancer. Very often these cells are made abnormal by a human papillomavirus (HPV) which is a sexually transmitted virus. Regular tests and treatments reduces the likelihood of this sort of cancer by around 90%. 

For more information about cervical smear tests see Cervical Screening or click on the link to the National Screening Unit website: http://www.nsu.govt.nz/current-nsu-programmes/national-cervical-screening-programme.aspx

Contraceptive Devices - including Mirena, IUD & Jadelle insertion

Intrauterine devices (IUD)s are a long-acting reversible form of contraception (LARC). They are 99% effective and work for three, five or ten years depending on the type of IUD. There are two types, those with hormone (the hormone progestogen) and those without. You may need two appointments to get an IUD, one to check it’s right for you and one to have it put in. The procedure itself takes about five to ten minutes, with an appointment time of about 30 minutes. All IUDs are free if you are a New Zealand resident, however, you will need to pay for your appointments. Find out more: https://www.familyplanning.org.nz/advice/contraception/intra-uterine-device-iud

Diabetic Reviews

There are three main types of diabetes, type 1, type 2 and gestational. Diabetes is a condition that occurs when levels of sugar in your blood are too high. If left untreated, diabetes can cause or contribute to serious health issues. An annual diabetes review allows for assessment of glycaemic control and earlier detection of, and intervention for, diabetes-related complications. It also creates an opportunity to regularly review and assess individual treatment plans and enable support if required.

Electrocardiogram Test (ECG)

An ECG is a recording of your heart's electrical activity. Electrode patches are attached to your skin to measure the electrical impulses given off by your heart. The result is a trace that can be read by a doctor. It can give information of previous heart attacks or problems with the heart rhythm.

Immunisations

The National Immunisation Schedule offers a series of vaccines free to babies, children, adolescents and adults. Visit the Ministry of Health website to find out what vaccines are on the schedule and when they are given.  Additional vaccines are provided free for certain eligible groups considered to be at high risk because of other medical conditions; find out more here. These and other vaccines such as travel vaccines can be purchased by other people if they want them.

Immunisations are given by a practice nurse or doctor, having ensured beforehand that the person is not ill or suffering from allergies. Risks associated with immunisation are very rare.

Children have their own documents to keep a record of these injections. Under the age of five, this is usually their Well Child/Tamariki Ora My Health Book. The immunisation record may need to be shown, for example, when starting school or early childcare. The staff will also record the immunisation details on New Zealand’s National Immunisation Register. This computerised information system holds details of all immunisations given to children here and will alert families when immunisations are due.

Iron Infusions

Iron infusion is a way to increase the body’s iron levels quickly. Iron infusions is a procedure in which iron is delivered to your body intravenously (into a vein through a needle) also known as intravenous (IV) infusion to treat iron deficiency anaemia. An iron infusion can take up to 3 to 4 hours and you should expect to remain seated for this time. 

Skin Mole and Lesion Removal

Minor surgery is commonly provided in primary care practices, providing fast, competent removal and biopsies of skin lesions. Other services include cosmetic work such as removal of benign moles and skin tags. Ingrown toenail surgery is also commonly provided. 

Liquid Nitrogen 

Liquid nitrogen is a fast, effective treatment provided in many practices to treat viral warts, sun-damaged skin, skin tags and many benign cosmetic lesions. It comes in a container with a nozzle and is usually applied by swab or spray. Often one treatment is all that is needed but sometimes it may need repeating after two weeks.
The skin clinic is held fortnightly on Tuesdays. If you have a skin lesion you would like removed, you need to see your doctor first (to check the lesion can be treated this way) and then the nurses or doctor can apply the liquid nitrogen as required.

For more information on cryotherapy see DermNet NZ.

Urgent Appointments 

Our patients can often be seen on the same day if their need is urgent. Please ring the practice first and we will do our very best to see you. In an emergency, please call 111. After hours, the urgent doctors are available. Outside of office hours, the Dunedin South Medical Centre phone will redirect to the Urgent Doctors. Our phone number is 03 455 4073.

Walk-in Appointments

Our practice does not provide walk-in services and all patients require an appointment to be seen.