The Hills area is not suffering a "chronic shortage" of doctors, according to the new SA member of a national doctor's board, Michael Taylor of Mt Barker.
Dr Taylor was refuting a claim in The Advertiser on Monday which stated a doctor from Magill had been given a Federal grant to move to Bridgewater because of the chronic shortage of doctors in the Hills.
Under the Federal scheme, doctors moving into areas of shortage are given $30,000 to establish a new practice or $20,000 to join an existing practice.
However Dr Taylor felt the Hills should not be categorised as having a shortage, as it was well provided for in comparison with neighboring areas.
"The Adelaide Hills area is reasonably well covered, compared to other outer metropolitan areas," Dr Taylor said.
"We have about 100 doctors, including many who are part time.
"This works out at a ratio to one doctor to every 1276 people.
"In the Southern division, which includes Blackwood and southern suburbs through to Victor Harbor, the ratio is one doctor to every 1388 people, and in the Barossa Valley, the figure is one to 1400."
Dr Taylor said there were occasionally short term problems, but these had been quickly resolved.
"In the Hills we are generally lucky, in that this is such a nice place to work.
"We don’t have the problems that some areas are having."
Dr Taylor has just been elected unopposed as the SA representative on the Board of the Australian Divisions of General Practice.
He said one of its main roles was to represent the voice of doctors in dealings with the Federal Government.
"We also provide a link with local and state health services, with the aim of greater co-ordination," Dr Taylor said.
"An important issue is the need for everyone to have affordable access to GPs and wider health services.
"Being a GP is all about patients and the population."
Dr Taylor pointed out that many new graduates didn’t want to work a 60 hour week, as had been common in previous years.
"Now I only work about 45 to 50 hours a week," he added.
Article courtesy: The Courier, Mt Barker, 26 May 2004
Posted on 26-05-2004
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