Gorge Health's Dr P.J. Spafford said they will not be renewing their lease at 36 First Street in November 2020.

"Despite years of trying, it has not been possible to recruit GPs to work here," Dr Spafford said.

Rumors of the clinic's closure have already alarmed many Katherine residents who are not eligible to access the Wurli-Wurlinjang Aboriginal Health Service.

Sick residents would either have to attend the emergency department at Katherine Hospital, exclusively rely on telehealth services or travel to Darwin.

Dr Spafford said the reasons for the clinic's long-standing recruitment problems are many.

Earlier this year, Dr Spafford raised the alarm by agreeing his practice was understaffed and patients can face long wait times of several weeks to see a doctor.

In a statement today on the clinic's closure in 72 days, he said some of those reasons included the Federal Government's failure to modernise Medicare.

He also blamed the NT Government for "only supporting Indigenous health and the hospital, but not 'mainstream' general practice".

Dr Spafford said the NT's Primary Health Network (PHN), who, as the Territory's Rural Workforce Agency (RWA NT), also attract, recruit, educate and retain a professional primary health care workforce across the NT, "have failed in doing anything for Katherine".

"This is despite them identifying in their own Rural Health Workforce Strategy the enormous gap in GP numbers here," he said.

That strategy suggests Katherine should have a recommended "ideal staffing" of 9.1 general practice doctors - but there are only two.

Dr Spafford also said he had reached out to the Australian Medical Association but there had been no offer of support.

He said Royal Australian College of General Practitioners had "failed to address the issues which I have raised on numerous occasions".

Dr Spafford said the practice has been on sale "for a number of years but with no success in finding a buyer".

"This situation is not unique to Katherine, and difficulty in recruitment of professionals to work in Katherine not unique to Gorge Health," he said.

"The decision has not been easy and understandably will affect the community as a whole. However, as a business it can no longer survive."

Dr Spafford said he had no plans to leave Katherine and intended to continue working as a GP "in some capacity", but had not finalised any plans.

"At this stage, the doors here at 36 First Street will close for business on October 28, 2020."

Dr Spafford said he believed the NT PHN is discussing the issue with the NT Government.

Katherine Times has questioned the PHN on the progress of these negotiations.

While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox each Friday at 6am from the Katherine Times. To make sure you're up to date with all the news, sign up here.