From stab wounds to skin cancers, and everything in between | Dr Ebbie Swemmer

How Good Are Humans

In a slow week, Dr Ebbie Swemmer examines the skins of dozens of patients, performs many surgeries and saves people from the horrible fate of melanomas and other aggressive skin cancers. In a busy week, he is run off his feet, often as the only skin care option for thousands of remote Queenslanders. In a year he sees up to 10,000 patients from outback towns. He extends the hours of his practice to fit more people into his diary and shows leniency to those who struggle to afford care. If his service was to disappear, an entire geographical region would be at risk of medical neglect. Ebbie is almost 79 years old.

For five decades Ebbie has provided a suite of medical surgeries and services throughout remote communities in South Africa and Australia. He used to treat a dozen stab wounds a week in South African mines. He has performed more than 2000 caesarean surgeries. For the past decade he has chosen to provide his care and expertise to Far North Queensland's inland communities.

He has recently moved his practice, Rural Medical Skin Clinic, even further inland to Mutchilba, a community of farmers that, until his arrival, had grown used to travelling hours to find medical treatment.

He also has history as a military officer, a farmer, a naturalist and a diver. He has lived many lives in the space of one. He has no desire to slow down and is planning to expand his practice and recruit more doctors to rural Queensland. But if he is unsuccessful in attracting more medical talent, he worries what might become of his patients’ health when one day he does, or is forced to, stop.