Dr Badcock is the newly appointed as Chief Medical Officer and Executive Director of Clinical Governance at Bendigo Health.

Dr Badcock said the role was about making sure Bendigo Health continued providing humanity to its care delivery, and keep the patient at the centre of staying well.

Read more: Annual report shows increase in presentations and operations at Bendigo Health

"We're at that pivotal point in healthcare where never has so much been asked by so many of so few," Dr Badcock said.

"Resources are tight, so what it really does mean is bringing out the best in everybody, ensuring that people have realistic expectations of what we can do, when we can do it."

Dr Badcock has worked for about 25 years at Bendigo Health. She came to Bendigo 30 years ago after marrying an Australian.

It was via Hong Kong where she worked in Vietnamese refugee camps, while her husband specialised in head and neck surgery.

Dr Badcock said she would see maybe 200 patients a day, with a bucket of water at her feet to wash her hands.

It was a reality check on how lucky we all are, she said.

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