REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN

Monday January 12, 2004

IF you were sick at Nerang, Currumbin or Mudgeeraba and need to see a doctor – forget it.

In Burleigh, some doctors closed their books, outright, but allowed new patients if they had immediate family already at the clinic.

Surgeries at Ashmore, Labrador and Paradise Point would only take new patients if they lived within the suburb boundaries.

If you were a woman wanting to see a female doctor on the Gold Coast, you could wait up to three months.

A Gold Coast Bulletin investigation into waiting times at doctors’ surgeries across the city found the general practitioner shortage had become critical in many suburbs.

Dr Mark Lee stopped taking new patients at his West Burleigh practice in early 2003.

“You have to be an immediate family member of an existing patient to get into places who close their books,” said Dr Lee.

“They (Federal Government) have to give more medical places to local people; there’s no use attracting doctors from overseas because they have different qualifications.”

Burleigh resident Karen Turner said it took three to four days before she could see her local GP at Burleigh Waters.

“I went to book the kids in the other day and it was a three-to-four-day wait. Waiting that sort of time is pretty standard these days,” she said.

“There’s not a lot you can do about it. It’s well and good to bring more doctors to the Coast but they have to be good ones. You can get in earlier to other GPs that aren’t as good but the better doctors are at least three days’ wait.”