THE community of Lake Cargelligo has urged its two local doctors to call a ceasefire after a bitter split late last year sent tensions running high between the GPs.
The dispute has been raging since Dr Khaled Bardawil left Dr Richard Tabba's surgery in November last year and set up his own surgery next door.
Dr Tabba, who said he sponsored Dr Bardawil to come to Australia and helped him get his licence to work in the country, said rumours were now being spread about him.
"I have been here for nine years and I worked very hard and brought this surgery up from scratch without a break for nearly four years," he said.
"Now he's spreading rumours I treated him badly and people are seeing him more than me.
"I wish people would tell me what I have done wrong to be looked at like this.
"I feel like nothing in this town after all my years of hard work and now he's trying to kick me out of town with rumours."
Dr Tabba said he approached The Area News because he believed there should be laws protecting rural doctors from what he is going through.
"I'm sure I'm not the only one and a lot of other doctors have probably left silently but there should be laws protecting principal doctors who work hard to set these things up and provide proper care for the community," he said.
"Imagine if everything you've work for and sacrificed for was just handed over to someone else and you were avoided down the street."
But Dr Bardawil said he moved out on his own because he "couldn't work" under Dr Tabba and claimed he was the one rumours were being spread about.
"I did not want to move but he forced me to move he was a very bad employer," Dr Bardawil said.
"I decided to resign from his office but then the community in Lake Cargelligo started a petition for me to stay and council approached me and I agreed to stay.
"Now at least 70 per cent of the community is supporting me and that's why he approached you (The Area News) because he's trying to defame me and trying to get more customers, it's the only explanation for it."
Dr Bardawil said he wanted to continue to work in Lake Cargelligo because his family liked living in the town and were part of the community.
Former Lachlan Shire councillor and Lake Cargelligo resident Bill Lander said locals were worried about the feud between the doctors and were afraid they would be the ones to suffer.
"Most of us are pretty concerned about it," Mr Lander said.
"I'm friends with both doctors and they both provide very good services.
"It's unfortunate that the partnership split and we're concerned about what might happen in the future."
Mr Lander said many of the residents didn't know why the doctors parted ways and the animosity between them was dividing the town.
"Richard (Tabba) was the one who gave us good services in the first place but Dr Bardawil is a very good doctor as well and it would be sad to lose either of them," he said.
