Sheryl Lowe, Naracoorte Community News
South East medical clinics have been affected by doctor shortages resulting in cuts to services and bulk billing. Clinic spokespersons say the Medicare rebate has not kept up with rising costs. Attracting doctors to the South East has been a topic of conversation for many years with one clinic manager saying a 12-month remote rural stint should be built into the training model.
Medical Clinic Millicent announced this week urgent doctor appointments will be affected from July 4th 2022. There will be no doctor on-call for urgent on the day appointments.
Patient details will be taken by reception staff, triaged by a nurse and an appointment scheduled on urgency and appointment availability. These appointments will not be bulk-billed or discounted, including children and pensioners but there is a Medicare rebate. This model will follow the Saturday morning model. Missed appointments will be billed the full rate.
Medical Clinic Millicent Practice Manager Ms Bronwyn Baker told The News, GP shortage is a nation-wide rural issue and said if the training model included a 12-month rural practice stint, medical students would know in advance what was expected and 12 months is long enough for them to become immersed in the community and could influence them to stay. A shorter term doesn’t do this and many see it as just something they have to do and then return to their life in the city. She said 80% of the students and/or doctors come for a short time and return.
But if the 12-month model was introduced it could make a difference. For example, one doctor had to stay in the rural practice for 12 months during covid and that was long enough for them to become involved with the community and their patients and decide to stay. A shorter term is not long enough for them to become involved in sporting groups and organisations.
State-wide, there are 94 positions for doctors and only 12 available for placement. Overseas student doctors are also hard to attract, she said. The incentives offered by the government have not attracted or kept the numbers of doctors needed rurally.
Rural status also needs some clarification, Ms Baker said. If Murray Bridge and Mt Barker, for example are considered rural, and are just 2 to 3 hours out of Adelaide, perhaps Millicent should have remote rural status.
The Medical Clinic Millicent has 4 Partners, 1 Registrar and 1 Associate, so doctor shortage is an issue and affects the clinic’s ability to recruit. “We have six doctors at the clinic currently and the need for at least four more,” she told The News.
“We must look after our doctors as well as our patients,” she said.
Kincraig Medical Centre said this week they are also cutting bulk-billing from July 1st due to rising costs.
Both clinics say rising costs, including insurance premiums, and the lack of sufficient investment by governments into general practice has resulted in the situation rural communities are now facing.
Member for MacKillop Nick McBride said, “this is widespread across the South East including Kingston, Robe, Beachport, Millicent and Naracoorte and wait times can be up to 6 weeks to make an appointment with a GP.”
“And this is not just a GP problem, it is a hospital problem too.”
“GP’s seem to prefer the city life but even if we did attract doctors to the South East, where would we house them with the current housing shortage. The Liberals didn’t fix the problem but did promise in excess of $180m to get local doctors back into local hospitals but we are yet to see what the Government’s funding model will be.”
“We are mending our rural hospitals with locums who live on the Gold Coast!”
This article appeared in the Naracoorte Community News.
