The spotlight has again moved to the chronic lack of GPs in Katherine.
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Dr P.J. Spafford from Gorge Health agrees his practice is understaffed and patients can face long wait times to see a doctor.
He has called for help trying to recruit more doctors to Katherine, including support from Katherine Town Council.
Katherine Times has been told some sick people can wait up to two weeks when trying to book to see one of the town's GPs.
Dr Spafford said a GP registrar is soon to start work at Gorge Health to support the two GPs which will help prioritise patients for same day access if needed.
According to a 2018 health needs assessment by the NT Primary Health Network, given the size of the town's population and the national average ratio of 1.2 GPs per 1000 - Katherine's "ideal staffing level" is nine GPs.
These are GPs for the general population, not those doctors working for the Katherine Hospital, Wurli Wurlinjang Health Service or Sunrise Health, but GPs available to see public patients.
This same assessment found Gorge Health had 8000 people on its books.
The lack of doctors came to a head again with a debate on ABC Radio on Friday with Mayor Fay Miller saying council did not intend to enter the recruitment debate.
The recruiting of doctors, and many other professions, has long been a problem for Katherine.
This shortage led the NT Primary Health Care Network in 2018 to launch a free after-hours clinic, serviced by phone or video. It is not known how popular or convenient that services is.
Katherine MLA Sandra Nelson suggested back in 2017 that Katherine needed a bulk-billing clinic.
"The NT Government, in particular the Minister for Health's office, has been very supportive and is working closely with me in finding ways to address this issue."
"There needs to be a general practice clinic that affords bulk-billing access to every resident of Katherine," Ms Nelson said during the 2017 debate. Tristar decided not to move to Katherine.
Many Katherine residents are known to travel a round trip of more than five hours to Darwin and Palmerston to attend bulk-billing clinics there.
"The NT Government, in particular the Minister for Health's office, has been very supportive and is working closely with me in finding ways to address this issue."
Mayor Fay Miller said there had been a shortage of GPs in Katherine "and there has been for over 20 years".
Mayor Miller said it was not a new crisis for rural and remote towns across Australia.
Mayor Miller encouraged the doctor to take up his concerns with local politicians and the NT Minister for Health.
Health Minister Natasha Fyles told Katherine Times late yesterday the NT Government knows how important it is to attract and retain doctors to our regional areas.
"It was a Labor Government that opened the Territory's very first medical school with Flinders University on the Charles Darwin University campus nine years ago to help us grow our own doctors.
"The program has an intake of 24 students each year who are required to work in the NT health system for 4 years after their graduation.
"In relation to attracting more doctors to the region, doctors employed at the Katherine District Hospital are NTG employees, and are offered an attractive recruitment and retention package and provided with training and development opportunities.
"In contrast the Federal Government - who is responsible for GP services in Australia - has not kept Medicare rebates for General Practice in line with the rising costs of providing the service. This means there are limited bulk billing practices outside of Darwin and more people in regional and remote areas who are unable to afford GP services."
Letter from Dr P.J. Spafford:
On Friday, I was asked to do an interview on ABC radio because a patient was concerned there was a waiting list of several weeks to see a doctor at Gorge Health.
This is true because there are only two GPs at the practice. In a couple of weeks, there will be a new GP registrar starting, but there will most likely still be a waiting time. I would like to assure patients that we have been, and are continuing, trying to recruit GPs to move to Katherine.
Mayor Fay Miller stated on ABC later that morning I have never approached her about the difficulty recruiting doctors. I have spoken with her about this on three separate occasions, and been firmly told the council will not assist in attracting doctors. She even stated at our last meeting that she was aware of councils elsewhere providing assistance, but Katherine Town Council would not.
The Mayor did not seem concerned about the GP shortage. There is a shortage and the NT Primary Health Care Workforce Needs Assessment says the ideal staffing level of GPs in Katherine, excluding those at Wurli and the hospital, is 9.1.
The difficulty in recruiting and retaining doctors here is not new, not restricted to Gorge Health and not unique to Katherine. Gorge Health gets no Government funding and no concessions. Requests for assistance have been turned down. The only income is from what patients pay for services provided.
Too few GPs is tough for patients and tough for business. It is in everyone's interest to have more GPs in town, so any suggestions would be appreciated.
From Dr P.J. Spafford, Gorge Health, Katherine.
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