Public skin clinic set to ease waiting

BARWON Health is set to open a public dermatology clinic to address growing wait lists that have forced Geelong residents to travel to Melbourne for specialist appointments.

Local dermatologist and founder of Novus Dermatology and Skin Health, Tahereh Taklif, said the few dermatology practices in Geelong had waiting lists of 6-12 months.

Dr Taklif said the number of dermatologists in Geelong was not enough for demand, and the coronavirus pandemic had significantly impacted wait times.

Local GP and Western Victoria Primary Health Network clinical spokeswoman Anne Stephenson said a dermatologist shortage had been an issue in our region for “many years”.

“Many people prefer to go to Melbourne to see a dermatologist to avoid the long wait in our region for access to this service, while others see a visit to Melbourne as being too hard,” Dr Stephenson said.

“It is important that high-risk patients make every effort to have their situation assessed and managed.”

Barwon Health is set to open a public dermatology clinic in the near future. Its director for medicine, specialty medicine and emergency, Andrew Hughes, said dermatology care, particularly in regards to skin cancer, was a clear area of need for the community.

“We are confident this clinic will also attract new dermatologists to the region and increase training opportunities for local GPs,” he said.

The Australasian College of Dermatologists said it was “acutely aware” of the national shortage of dermatologists, particularly in regional and rural areas and addressing this workforce shortage was a key priority.

“We continue to call on state and territory governments, health departments and health services to expand public hospital services, incorporating both dermatologists and trainees, and on the federal government to increase the number of dermatology training positions in private and rural practice,” the college said in a statement.

Dr Stephenson said a number of GPs in the region were qualified in skin cancer surveillance and if people couldn’t see a dermatologist in a timely manner, they should see one of those GPs to ensure action could be taken.