Doctor shortage reaches crisis point in South Gippsland

A CRITICAL shortage of doctors across South Gippsland has stretched medical resources to the limit, according to Gippsland South MP and Nationals Leader Danny O’Brien.

Taking his mobile office to the Tarwin Lower Community Health Centre, local residents told Mr O’Brien the lack of a visiting GP was one of their major concerns.

President of the Tarwin Lower Community Health Centre, Teresa Davison said the local community was visited by a nurse practitioner half a day once a week, but that was not enough to cover both Tarwin Lower and Venus Bay.

Since the closure of Leongatha Healthcare, the nurse practitioner has seen on average 40 patients for each consultation session, and up to 60 on the busiest days,” said Ms Davison.

“We haven’t had a doctor for two years.”

The need for a visiting doctor had been a perennial problem according to Mr O’Brien.

Kath Molna Secretary of the Tarwin Lower Community Health Centre said it would be fantastic to have a visiting GP, if they could get one.

“Some doctors have been able to do outreach and visit regularly,” said Ms Molna.

Mr O’Brien said although it was largely a federal government responsibility, the state government could possibly provide assistance through the hospital system.

“More country kids need to train as GPs,” said Mr O’Brien.

“Country health is a bit like country housing, they’re under-funding regional healthcare with a push to centralise. Bigger is not necessarily better, local is better.”

Using Foster as an example, Mr O’Brien said the Foster hospital had maternity facilities and an operating theatre, which helped the town retain its GPs. By contrast, smaller hubs are feeling the squeeze of a system that prioritises metropolitan areas.

Ms Davison said Tarwin Lower was not unique in its struggle, but the lack of a doctor was exacerbated by the total absence of public transport at Tarwin Lower or Venus Bay.

This isolation creates a dangerous cycle for the elderly and the chronically ill.

“Transport is very limited, people are driving when they shouldn’t be driving because of medical conditions,” Ms Davison said.

Mr O’Brien was told patients are being forced to drive when they’re unwell just to see a professional, or they simply don't go at all, which leads to much worse outcomes.

Patients are essentially being forced to travel to Leongatha or Wonthaggi to see a doctor often waiting hours for issues that could have been resolved in a ten-minute local consultation.

Mr O’Brien stressed that the crisis point was not just a matter of convenience, but of community safety. He called for a more robust incentive program to lure medical graduates to the bush, noting that the current one-size-fits-all funding model fails to account for the tyranny of distance in South Gippsland.

The sentiment among the locals at the health centre was clear, they don't want a medical revolution, just the basic security of a local doctor. For now, the community remains dependent on a overstretched nurse practitioner and a lot of luck.