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Six doctors leaving Mount Gambier

Posted on October 2, 2009, 9:09am

The Mount Gambier community will lose the much-needed services of at least six GPs in the next two months.

Four GPs have indicated verbally they will resign from the Hawkins Medical Clinic before the end of the year, while two have already resigned from the Ferrers Medical Clinic.

The resignation of the four GPs — two husband and wife teams — from Hawkins comes as a blow at a time when the clinic is currently undertaking building works to expand its services and employ more doctors.

Construction of a 178 square metre wing with five more consulting rooms to accommodate more doctors and visiting specialists is expected to be completed by early next year.

“We will be advertising nationally and overseas to find replacements for the four that are leaving, as well as for a number of other staff,” Hawkins practice manager Dale Beatty told The Border Watch.

“Hopefully we will find GPs that want to come to our wonderful city and be part of the community.”

Mr Beatty said the two couples were leaving the region to follow their children that are relocating to capital cities for higher education.

Ferrers Clinic practice manager Lois Brooker said one of the GPs that resigned from the clinic was moving to Adelaide for further studies while the second GP will leave the region with her husband, who is a specialist at the Mount Gambier Hospital, due to personal circumstances.

“We have just appointed two overseas trained GPs, but we will now have to advertise again to replace the two that are leaving,” Ms Brooker said.

“It is a big loss to our community, especially when families are leaving, as we also lose their children to our schools and sports clubs.”

Rural Doctors Workforce Agency chief executive Lyn Poole said she was positive the vacancies would be filled.

“It is a big ask to fill the vacancies by Christmas, but I am confident we will find doctors for Mount Gambier,” Ms Poole said.

“We work very closely with practices in recruiting GPs from all over Australia and internationally and outside Adelaide, Mount Gambier is in one of the top two or three most attractive locations in the state.

“Mount Gambier is not as isolated as some other locations such as Coober Pedy for instance; it has a good infrastructure and GPs who consider working and settling in Mount Gambier with families find it attractive because of all the available facilities.”

Ms Poole said there were on average 20 to 30 vacancies for GPs in the state’s rural workforce of between 420 to 430.

“We recruit locally, but also travel to London and Boston in the US to recruit GPs because they have a huge base of international graduates,” she said.

“We are also hoping that the economic downturn in the US will make Australia a more attractive destination for GPs.”

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