Doctors forced to turn away patients

PHILIPPA DUNCAN

http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,22935448-921,00.html

December 17, 2007 12:00am
UP to two-thirds of Tasmania's GP practices are turning away new patients.

An issues paper has revealed one third of the state's GPs have closed their books entirely.

The paper – prepared for the inaugural Tasmanian GP Workforce Summit held this month – said only one third of GP practices were accepting new patients, without restrictions.

Australian Medical Association state president Haydn Walters said appointments were going to become harder to get.

"In Tasmania there are 58 (GP) vacancies," he said yesterday.

"In the next five to 10 years a third to a half of all GPs are due to retire."

Prof Walters said modelling showed 100 of Tasmania's 300 GP positions would be empty.

"There is a bulge of GPs aged 50 and over," he said.

"One third of positions will be vacant.

"If you think we are short now, it is going to get a lot worse."

The issues paper said 24 of the vacancies were in Hobart, 12 in Launceston and 22 in rural areas.

Last week, the announcement Richmond doctor Eric Colquhoun planned to retire next month, leaving 5000 locals without a doctor, highlighted Tasmania's GP shortage.

Dr Colquhoun said he had spent three years searching for a doctor to buy and take over the business. He said that the problem was endemic.

"I've been trying to recruit someone since 2004, I've had a few people come but they've had to go for various reasons.

"Finding a doctor is like pulling a rabbit out of a hat."

Prof Walters said Tasmania needed to start preparing for the shortage now and state and federal governments needed to work together more closely on doctor training.

Claremont GP Graeme Alexander said more needed to be done to convince doctors to stay another week or month before retiring.

He said the figures were much worse, because many doctors were burnt out and considering retiring early.

"The average rural GP is 57 or 58. They are the ones finding it really really hard.

"At the moment everyone is flooding out of general practice, but no one is asking why.

"The existing workforce we need to stay longer to train the new workforce."

The issues paper said there were reports of people having to travel significant distances to get access to a GP in Glamorgan Spring Bay, Kingborough and West Tamar.

It asked how much of the increased number of presentations to emergency departments could be attributed to the GP shortage.

It predicted a number of rural hospitals may soon be heavily reliant on locum GPs.

Dr Alexander said the Medicare system also needed reform.