The Story Begins.

This story began for me on the day that my staff showed me the above article in the local community newspaper. I am ashamed to admit that my first reaction was purely selfish – I did not want to cope with the overflow of patients from this adjacent clinic, particularly in view of the fact that we are going to lose a doctor from our own practice in the first week of April. The anxiety was sufficient to put me firmly into denial mode.

I have just celebrated my 60^th birthday. I do not have a succession plan for my practice. I have found some fine doctors over the years, but all have been overseas-trained, and are therefore unemployable by us as we are not classified as a District of Workforce Shortage. I admit to having completely given up on the problem.

A few years ago there were four practices within a few hundred metres of each other in this inner suburban shopping precinct, representing about eight full time practitioners. We are the only practice left, and when we lose one of our doctors, we will be down to slightly less than 2 FTEs. We service the local community, including a significant number of refugees, as well as a large number of commuters from the outer metropolitan area. I truly do not know where these patients will go if we close.

I was humbled out of my denial by the response of patients of the practice when they read the follow-up article which explained our own plight. One of those patients has started a petition, and the first batch of signatures has been handed in to the office of our local member – Mr. Kevin Rudd.

All of us working at the coal-face in general practice are tired of the same assurances and promises. We are certainly tired of the workforce issue being analysed. There have been at least four large workforce studies since 1996. Every time the figures are done the sitution is worse. Any further data-collecting exercises must be seen as an excuse for real action on the part of the Government.

I have always felt that General Practice is the most creative form of medicine: so many of our patients do not fit any mould, and so many are sent back to us when all specialist solutions are exhausted, yet we must keep coming up with ideas and assistance. I do not believe that this problem is insoluble, if we generate a true spirit of discussion.

Mr. Rudd wants to fix the Health System.
We want to fix the Health System.
Our patients definitely want us to fix the Health System.

At the risk of sounding like an old cynic, it seems that our joint adversary is the Bureaucracy.

We must find some solutions that do not frighten the bureaucrats.
We must find some solutions that do not worsen the bottom line.
We must simultaneously address the Rural Health problem.