Trying to get to a doctor in Canberra, a joke without a punchline.

Actually, the length quoted is almost correct. Post graduate GP training requires a minimum of 2 years hospital training, followed by a further 2 years in the community (including rural secondment). Many trainees exceed that minimum pathway by doing additional training before taking their fellowship.

Perhaps instead we should lower the medical uni entry standards, push more students through with lower exam requirements, and pay them less. What a great idea…

pepmeup said :

SpelligAndFramma,
From finishing year 12 to becoming a GP on that sort of money is 6 years uni 2 years hospital tranning the 3 more years specialising then getting enough experience to work for yourself.

option b

do a 1 year tafe course in it and consult to the government on $140,000 year one.

Oh – boo hoo. I bet they get paid a helluva lot more than your average apprentice – which is exactly what they are…

For those who actually undertake the length of training you mentioned above – they’re not your garden variety GP – they’re more likely to be your specialist and based on the current parliamentary debate, there are some of those who are benefiting to the tune of more than $4m per annum. AGAIN – at the taxpayers pleasure. It is greed that beleaguers our health system. We need to look at the UK model.

SpelligAndFramma,

GPs earning $250-$300 grand a year well certainly not in the first 10-20 years after6 years of education.

From finishing year 12 to becoming a GP on that sort of money is 6 years uni 2 years hospital tranning the 3 more years specialising then getting enough experience to work for yourself.

option b

do a 1 year tafe course in it and consult to the government on $140,000 year one.

RatsNest said :

Had to go to Phillip medical centre yesterday, while there I was informed that the gov’t is trying to force the few bulk billing centres that we have to stop bulk billing. They wont take appointments, you’ll just have to fork out for the privilege of sitting around for 3 hours to see the docs there.

Don’t believe what they tell you. Nothing has changed. It is just a grab for more money.

It is unfortunate that on a $ per minute scenario, GPs receive more money for the standard level B constultation (the most common one) than they do for spending more time with a patient. If only one person takes longer than the standard 10 minutes allowed, then it all turns to crap – obviously the later in the day the worse it is.

One of the many wonderful things that the patriarchal John Howard did for us was to provide a list of a range of health professionals that could provide certificates accepted for sick leave. These include pharmacists, physiotherapists and even Chinese medicine herbalists. However, you should really check with your employer. In my trawling of the web, I have found the Pharmacy Guild’s guidelines here: http://www.guild.org.au/qld/content.asp?id=1633. However, don’t expect this to be gratis.

As for comment number 38 – I think that GP income of a minimum $250 to $300 thousand per annum as is pretty good – particularly when it is underwritten by taxpayers!

Had to go to Phillip medical centre yesterday, while there I was informed that the gov’t is trying to force the few bulk billing centres that we have to stop bulk billing. They wont take appointments, you’ll just have to fork out for the privilege of sitting around for 3 hours to see the docs there.

GnT said :

I propose we need a third tier of health care, in between GPs and hospital emergency, for urgent cases that are not life and death emergencies. There would be a triage system where a nurse would be able to tell you if you should go to hospital, or just go home and rest. Of course, if there were enough GPs this would be their job!

&

dvaey said :

I do agree with post #41 that we need a 3rd level healthcare system. Something to take the load off GPs and ERs, however I think if such a system was setup it would fall into the same state of disrepair as our current system.

As far as I am aware there is no face to face service that would offer this sort of triage advice, but, in situations such as these I often ring Health Direct (1800 022 222), a 24 hour line staffed by nurses. They are happy to note symptoms etc. and then advise on whether a GP visit will suffice or the ER may be necessary. I’ve always found them to be extremely helpful – a great service really.

See http://www.healthdirect.org.au/ for more information.

This might sound a bit logical, but Im guessing that those patients talked about in post #2 (and others), have regular doctors appointments which last for a regular amount of time. If you know some patients will want to chat to the doctor to fill in their lonely lives, then why not allow for it?

Dont give the little old lady the same length appointment time as the office worker who wants to be in and out quick, this is why doctors have extended consultations available. The problem is, if receptionists make an extended appointment time, that reduces the total number of patients per day the doctor can see, so I imagine its an unwritten rule to make as many short appointments as possible, even if patients ask for longer.

I do agree with post #41 that we need a 3rd level healthcare system. Something to take the load off GPs and ERs, however I think if such a system was setup it would fall into the same state of disrepair as our current system.

sepi said :

Last week I had a dr appt for a sick baby, we had the appt, the dr decided he needed urgent lung x-rays, so she sent me off for that, then I was to wait outside her rooms with the results and she would see me in between patients, so I did that, then she got on the phone to various specialists trying to get us in – the entire second appt was unscheduled. I imagine it only takes this type of thing to happen with a couple of patients a day and the whole day is out of whack.

Just goes to show that doctors generally really do care. Hope the little guy is doing well.

Well, take for instance the fracture clinic. They give you an ‘appointment’ like 9:30 am on a certain day. You get there, expecting it to actually be an appointment, and proceed to wait for another two hours. By the time you leave, sometime in the afternoon, after spending five hours and wasting a whole day, the waiting room is clear. There are no ‘appointments’ scheduled for the afternoon. Next time they give us an appointment for 9:30 am, I’m turning up at three. It’s just disgusting and completely unnecessary. It’s rude. It’s time they grew a set of manners.

Nobody minds when the unexpected happens, but, hey, if you chronically run half an hour behind, why not factor that in and make less appointments. Other people do it. In any other industry being late for appointments is considered unprofessional. And guess what? Life happens to everybody. Other people just bend over backwards to avoid it.

Granny it isn’t that simple – and it isn’t just the drs wasting time chatting.

Last week I had a dr appt for a sick baby, we had the appt, the dr decided he needed urgent lung x-rays, so she sent me off for that, then I was to wait outside her rooms with the results and she would see me in between patients, so I did that, then she got on the phone to various specialists trying to get us in – the entire second appt was unscheduled. I imagine it only takes this type of thing to happen with a couple of patients a day and the whole day is out of whack.

Meanwhile the ‘quick’ appointments who just want a medical certificate for work for a bad cold/flu do not bother waiting at family practices now – they just go to the medical centres, so there are less quick appointments for the dr to catch up some time.

And the fact that consults are scheduled for 15 mins and no more is down to medicare, not the doctor.

A whole heap more doctors would certainly help though. It never used to be this hard, even 5 years ago.

Granny said :

I personally believe that there needs to be a re-education in the culture of the medical profession. Let’s start with a definition of the term ‘appointment’ and work backwards into time management. It’s just common courtesy and basic respect. If you are going to spend 20 mins extra talking to an old person, budget for it. Factor it in. Great that you do it. It needs to be done. But do it on your time, not on mine. If you tell me we have an appointment at twelve and you expect me to be there, then show me the same respect for goodness’ sake. You’re not any more special than the rest of us. If you wouldn’t like to be kept waiting for two hours, don’t do that to other people, and certainly don’t expect us to consider your behaviour ‘professional’.

Granny I’d agree except that I think the appointments would inevitably become a lot more expensive. I pay $66 for an appointment up to 20 minutes, and get a reasonable amount back from Medicare, sans private health insurance. With a definite appointment time, doctors would have to schedule far fewer patients in for the day – and often twiddle their thumbs for 25 minutes after any quick medical certificate flu type appointment. And please don’t suggest that patients let the receptionist know how long they’ll need – a competent doctor will sound you out for things you don’t know you need, or haven’t mentioned through reluctance or other factors. I thought I was making a “five minute medical certificate appointment” only the other day, and ended up taking 20 minutes.

this is exactly why we need a pharmacist-issued ’sick certificate’ system so that people who have the flu or a cold can get one from a pharmacist for the purposes of work sick leave, rather than having the time and expense problem of going to a doctor to be diagnosed with something they already know they have – only to be told to get some cold and flu tablets over the counter at the chemist and go home and rest! it’s ridiculous.

Would most employers actually accept this ?? I was rather disappointed when I recently had to waste several doctors time just to get certificates. The first was when I had been sent home from work and asked to go to the doc due to my boss having “Swine Flu panic”, then I had to go back days later as my boss would not accept the original certificate saying I was unfit for work for ‘x’ days. It had to be one that said I was WELL enough to return to work.. A week later I had to do the same crap again and waste 2 more appointments.

As for decent surgery’s, I used to be a patient at Florey but only trust one doctor there after more than one misdiagnosis – unfortunately he’s never working. I now go up to Ginninderra Medical Centre.. Yes you have to wait a while – the most I have ever waited is just over 2 hours. However I simply put my name down, went a did a few errands then came back and joined the rest of the people in the waiting room. I was lucky enough to be seen after only 10 minutes of waiting the other day, and straight in for scans too..

I personally believe that there needs to be a re-education in the culture of the medical profession. Let’s start with a definition of the term ‘appointment’ and work backwards into time management. It’s just common courtesy and basic respect. If you are going to spend 20 mins extra talking to an old person, budget for it. Factor it in. Great that you do it. It needs to be done. But do it on your time, not on mine. If you tell me we have an appointment at twelve and you expect me to be there, then show me the same respect for goodness’ sake. You’re not any more special than the rest of us. If you wouldn’t like to be kept waiting for two hours, don’t do that to other people, and certainly don’t expect us to consider your behaviour ‘professional’.

A family members most recent experience with a northside doctor was anything but satisfactory. After having back pain for almost a week, she saw a doctor who at no time looked at her back, fobbed her off when she asked for a certificate (she has to do lifting at work), decided that looking down her throat and going ahhh was a good method of diagnoses and then scared the living **** out of her when she said she had been feeling tight chested by saying she was possibly having a heart attack and should have gone to emergency instead!

It is ridiculous. You either have to pay through the nose or, if you want to be bulk-billed, wait for hours. Or sometimes both. Those of you who have a promt, bulk-billing docotr, be glad – it’s certainly not the norm. And they’re probably not taking any new patients.

I had a child with a temp of 39 that wasn’t coming down with panadol, so we took him straight to emergency. He was fine (influenza) but I was accused by a friend in the health industry of ‘clogging up the system’. Another time (head injury) I took him to a medical centre, waited 2 hours and was told to take him to hospital for stitches where we waited another 5 hours.

I propose we need a third tier of health care, in between GPs and hospital emergency, for urgent cases that are not life and death emergencies. There would be a triage system where a nurse would be able to tell you if you should go to hospital, or just go home and rest. Of course, if there were enough GPs this would be their job!

“My” practice in the inner north runs a cancellation list through every day. If you phone at 8 am sharp and can undertake to be five or max ten minutes away, you’ll normally be called in same day. Other times, yes, there are long waits. But hey, it isn’t Stalingrad. There’s a roof over one’s head for the duration, it’s warm, and there are some pretty recent magazines (March 2009!). No-one is out to get you – the receptionists are doing what they can, the doctors have, yes, old people who need to talk. I allow lots of time and take a book and expect to wait 45 minutes – I’m sometimes pleasantly surprised and go straight in.

T said :

try o’connor… its gererally about 15-20mins late but i can generally get an appointment on the day..

my o’connor gp practice upped stumps a few months or so ago to a ‘family practice’ in belconnen. “for my convenience”, according to the flyer they sent – like, yeah, much more convenient having to drive six or eight kays further than i used to cycle. like sepi noted, my gp of some fifteen years moved there, so where else am i likely to go? esp now with a l’il one due any week now and my better half also seeing said gp for the near four years she’s been back in sunny canberra. after a recent injury i had to see gp and/or nurses on a regular basis – nurses usually fairly prompt but gp, for now reason of her making as far as i could tell, was always at least 3-40mins late, sometimes up to 90 mins. luckily i was off work, and made appointments a week or more ahead – appointments on the day you wake up sick and needing one? ha! they just fart inmy general direction, unless i call by 8am sharp. sux.

I thinkl things will slowly get better in this area, there is a new agreement where all the doctore trainded at the anu will now be garrantteed a place after uni in Canberra. So maybe things will improve. But really as doctors get paid so much less than other proffessionals I cant see why they would do it myself (that is become a doctor).

But I go to one of the super clinic type places on the north side, i find if you get there early its not a long wait. If you get in early you avoid all the people going in who just need a doctors cert for work or uni.

sepi said :

O’connor medical centre that was across from the shops is long gone – or is there another one in O’connor?

Yep, just near the chemist.

If all you need is a simple doctors certificate, then I can recommend the following site

http://www.doctorsnotestore.com/

If you need one to hand to somebody else… then best make the appointment with a real GP now for when you will be sick in the next month or so.

Ivan76 said :

Perhaps if you call more than one doctor you will end up getting an appointment. I can rarely get a same day appointment at Hawker medical (although they have been going downhill as of late) yet Florey could just about guarantee an appointment any day of the week, beyond that you can just go without a booking and you will see a doctor anyway.

“I shudder to think of how people on lower incomes than mine deal with this situation, especially in an emergency.”

Yeah they just call around until they find a doctor that can see em the same day, its not hard.

Yep shopping around is definitely an option, travelling from one side of town to another when you’re sick probably isn’t, doing so when you have a sick child is probably even more unbearable… Things are tough all over.

O’connor medical centre that was across from the shops is long gone – or is there another one in O’connor?

toriness said :

this is exactly why we need a pharmacist-issued ‘sick certificate’ system so that people who have the flu or a cold can get one from a pharmacist for the purposes of work sick leave, rather than having the time and expense problem of going to a doctor to be diagnosed with something they already know they have – only to be told to get some cold and flu tablets over the counter at the chemist and go home and rest! it’s ridiculous.

Agreed. If those of use that only need a flu/cold work sick leave certificate could go to an easily identifiable pharmacist for a certificate, then the waiting rooms would be filled by those who are in more of a need to see the Dr. Win-win, I think.. However, I am still yet to find a Pharmacy that openly states they will issue a medical certificate. Anyone know if any north-side that will?

Perhaps if you call more than one doctor you will end up getting an appointment. I can rarely get a same day appointment at Hawker medical (although they have been going downhill as of late) yet Florey could just about guarantee an appointment any day of the week, beyond that you can just go without a booking and you will see a doctor anyway.

“I shudder to think of how people on lower incomes than mine deal with this situation, especially in an emergency.”

Yeah they just call around until they find a doctor that can see em the same day, its not hard.

Ralph said :

That’s socialised health for you.

As opposed to lower-income families not being able to afford health-care at all? I think the alternative is worse.

try o’connor… its gererally about 15-20mins late but i can generally get an appointment on the day..

That’s socialised health for you.

http://www.psa.org.au/site.php?id=2237

On Pharmacists issuing sick leave certificates. It has been around for some time

toriness said :

this is exactly why we need a pharmacist-issued ‘sick certificate’ system so that people who have the flu or a cold can get one from a pharmacist for the purposes of work sick leave, rather than having the time and expense problem of going to a doctor to be diagnosed with something they already know they have – only to be told to get some cold and flu tablets over the counter at the chemist and go home and rest! it’s ridiculous.

Like I said before I think there are some chemists in the ACT that do this I’m just not sure where.

Pretty sure it’s been discussed on RiotACT before too.

deezagood said :

Are you soutside Angry henry? I have found Foundation Healthcare at Wanniassa to be very organised, and maybe we’ve just been lucky, but have never waited there for more than 15 minutes. A few of the Docs even bulk-bill for kiddies.

+1 +1 +1
Earlier this year I arrived about 10 mins early, was called in 5 mins before my appointment, and left 3 mins after my actual appointment time.
Then he bulk billed me!
I had to pinch myself!
Even when busy they move fairly well. I think 45 mins is the absolute longest I have waited.
I had to leave my previous Doctors practice. They made me wait over 2 hrs, past an appointment time, so I billed them for my time.( No they didn’t pay)
They weren’t impressed.
They also don’t like it when you mix up “Hypocratic” & “Hypocritic” in an argument about who’s time is more valuable.

The shortage of medical people goes further up the system than GPs too. Our baby was very sick for weeks and we were told he needs to see a paediatrician urgently, but there are none available, so hospital emergency is the only hope. This is not an efficient way to run a health system.

Tony said :

I agree. The situation is getting beyond a joke.
When Im sick, I need a doctors certificate, and the only option for me is to wait in the Belco Medical Centre for 5 hours before I can see a Doc. When I call around no doctors are taking new patients.

I was in the US 18 months ago and made a booking at the local practice, as the clock ticked over I was called up (there was only 1 other person waiting for the whole time I was waiting – 15 minutes). They were very comprehensive, took blood pressure, blood samples, urine samples (tested on the spot in their onsite lab), temperature, weight, height. I was in the Doc office for 1 whole hour, they left nothing to chance. All for a stomach virus which passed in a day, and it cost me $150 including all the test (I paid in full as I did’nt have local health insurance, it was to be later claimed by my travel insurance). The last time I went to the doc in AU they never touched me, or even consider doing a basic blood pressure. No service at all from the AU doctors

I plan on heading back on a permanent basis i n6 months, and Im looking forward to the great service you get in the USA health system if I ever need it.

The Aus health system is decaying.

You’ve gotta love those doctors who don’t lay a hand on you. I had quite severe pain in my calf which had lasted for a few days (I also had some cold-like symptoms which is probably neither here nor there – I do have very high blood pressure though). Anyway, I trotted off to the doctor who did not even look at my calf let alone touch it. I went home and said to my husband, “if I die in in the next 24 hours from a DVT then please sue Dr X from X Medical Centre”. Apparently this doctor’s powers of observation are so advanced that he can glean the cause of your illness just by looking at you!

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy said :

Jerra is where I go – call at 8.30am for an appointment that day (usually that morning), and they are rarely more than 15 mins behind schedule. Good doctors, no hassles.

But this is not the ACT, is it…

Jamison Medical Clinic does the same thing. They usually have a couple of extra slots available each day, but you have to call bang on 8:30am or they go.
Don’t ever think about showing up even a minute late for an appointment though or you’ll get bumped! I had to take my 3 y.o. in as he had been vomitting on and off for a few days (and I needed a medical certificate to cover time off work). Got an appointment the same day and turned up at the appointed hour but had to wait an hour-and-a-half before seeing the doctor. Kids love sitting around in a boring waiting room. They love it even more when they’re sick…
The alternative is one of the big medical clinics (I usually go to Ginninderra) where you usually have to wait for hours before getting a cursory 5 minute chat with the doctor, maybe get your temperature taken if you seem really, really sick and then you’re out the door.
I’d be keen to know about any pharmacists that will give out medical certificates.

this is exactly why we need a pharmacist-issued ‘sick certificate’ system so that people who have the flu or a cold can get one from a pharmacist for the purposes of work sick leave, rather than having the time and expense problem of going to a doctor to be diagnosed with something they already know they have – only to be told to get some cold and flu tablets over the counter at the chemist and go home and rest! it’s ridiculous.

There’s no point in generational wars. Every generation gets its advantages and disadvantages. The advantages Gen Y enjoy are huge, even compared to Gen X, and yes, they also have some disadvantages (mainly in that they were brought up to expect to never pay for anything).

MrPC, if a ‘generational war is coming in this country’ then I will glady shoot any gen y’er that doesn’t give up their seat for an old person on the bus, that runs around with a sense of self-entitlement, that is so full of unfounded self-belief that they can just interject into a conversation they know nothing about, that uses the phrase ‘that’s so random’ and who thinks that they have it anymore difficult than anyone else living on the planet.

I couldn’t think of anything worse than being old and having to queue qround in the health system, I imagine it to be a lot like purgatory.

I may also give myself an uppercut for assuming you are gen y when perhaps you may not be, but you sure sound like one.

arescarti42 said :

Wow, having to wait a week to get in to see the doctor sucks. Really, really sucks. I usually go to the Jerrabomberra Medical Centre. They can usually fit me in at short notice, and seem to run on time for appointments.

Jerra is where I go – call at 8.30am for an appointment that day (usually that morning), and they are rarely more than 15 mins behind schedule. Good doctors, no hassles.

But this is not the ACT, is it…

MrPC said :

I think a generational war is coming in this country.

Old folks just can’t resist a free 20 minute chat with the doctor every few days billed to medicare.

Old folks just can’t resist doing their banking between 12:15pm and 1:45pm, when the bank tellers are off to lunch, and when working people are desperately trying to get their occasional over the counter transaction over and done with during their extremely rare and valuable lunch break minutes.

Old folks are sitting on the real estate and won’t sell houses to needy young families and downsize unless they get a sale price so high that the young family will be up to their neck in debt for forty years.

Old folks got the chance at free university from the Whitlam years all the way through until the Hawke years. Nowadays you pay the earth, get lumbered with debt, and have to deal with the educational challenge of being in classes full of non-english speaking students that clearly cheated in their entrance exams.

Old folks got to put away no money for superannuation and have an expectation that they will get an age pension for life, while young folks have to pay heavy taxes to keep the aged with their pensions while simultaneously putting money into superannuation, leaving very little left over for expensive rents, expensive houses, expensive fuel, expensive education..

Need I go on?

Youth of the world, Unite!

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! FFS Why don’t you go swap with them if you think old folks’ lives are so cruisey. That’s the sort of whiney self-entitled comment that gives Gen Y a bad name.

I agree with he comments above. Stitches are a DIY job, unfortunately you can’t do that when they are in the back of your head. My doctor was very insistent on taking them out himself, also I had something cut out which needed to be tested so had to get the results.

I live in the inner-north so I have to ssy Jivrashia, from my perspective it was a fluke.

Thanks also for the heads up about travelling southside. I have actually done this on the few occasions when the situation has been dire enough for me or my partner to see a doctor straight away.

Cliches aside, I AM a law-abiding, tax-paying citizen and I’m drawing a comparison to someone who isn’t, namely a prison inmate who can probably get better access to basic healthcare in jail than I can outside.

I have heard that you can now get a medical certificate from some chemists, which may come in handy for those who struggle with the whole medical certificate thing. I’m not sure which ones but I reckon some fellow rioters would have an idea?!?

I have had similar experiences recently. I have heard rumours that a couple of larger practices have shut down recently, putting a lot more pressure on the remaining Docs.

It is a real problem for my wife, as she has very strict rules at her workplace regarding sick leave and doctors certificates. Chasing an appointment all over Canberra for two days is not a good way to recover from a flu.

“law-abiding, tax paying, citizens”
This cliché was brought to you by Angry of Mayfair.

I’ve been using Foundation Health Care (Waniassa) and I’ve seen the doctor on time in about 90% of cases. There are two that I like, and I’m usually lucky in getting an appointment within a few days – sometimes even the next day.

I can’t say I had this good experience prior to finding out about Foundation. I often got the feeling I should have called a week or so before I got sick, then camped out on the doorstep to actually see someone on time. Having said that, I often had the first appointment of the morning, and been the first one in, and still had to wait over half an hour.

I’ve never had too much trouble getting to see my GP – maybe not on the day I call, but usually within a day and if I really want to see someone fastthey can usually get me in to see one of the other doctors. I’m not going to tell you where I go becuase I want it to stay that way.

As far as stitches go, unless you’re particularly squeamish, that’s a DIY job. No need to spend money getting the GP to do it.

It is seriously screwed here. I can’t even find a local GP. Every place nearby I’ve rung has been full. In melbourne, I walked up the road when I had to see the doctor about something, simply walked into a GP’s office and was seen within 20 minutes, bulk-billed and all.

Sorry – southside.

Are you soutside Angry henry? I have found Foundation Healthcare at Wanniassa to be very organised, and maybe we’ve just been lucky, but have never waited there for more than 15 minutes. A few of the Docs even bulk-bill for kiddies.

Wow, having to wait a week to get in to see the doctor sucks. Really, really sucks. I usually go to the Jerrabomberra Medical Centre. They can usually fit me in at short notice, and seem to run on time for appointments.

Our 7 year old had a bad flu recently getting to temps of 40c. Our family doctor was also sick and it was impossible to get into any doctor at all. The answer from all was, not accepting new patients go to emergency. Finally after 4 hour waiting phillip medical centre saw him saying probably swine flu nothing can be done keep him cool. It is very poor.

If you are getting nothing but stitches removed all you need to see is the practice nurse if they have one

I agree with you – I believe the dept of health (I guess) stuffed up the numbers and failed to take into account the increase in population etc. and the end result was not enough places were available with graduates walking out the door in time to replace the doctors leaving the industry. The result? probably another 5 years of doctor shortages around the country until the new doctors complete their qulaifications. I could be wrong of course but this is the way it was explained to me by a doctor.
Cheers
Steve

Yep. My doctor has moved halfway across town, and you have to ring days in advance to get an appointment, wait about 10 minutes on the phone to even get thru, wait about an hour when you get there, all for the privilege of paying 70.00 for 5 minutes with the dr.

And as they have merged with a few other practices the waiting hall now has about 30 sick people coughing on each other, instead of 6. It isn’t a good time to be sick in Canberra.

I agree. The situation is getting beyond a joke.
When Im sick, I need a doctors certificate, and the only option for me is to wait in the Belco Medical Centre for 5 hours before I can see a Doc. When I call around no doctors are taking new patients.

I was in the US 18 months ago and made a booking at the local practice, as the clock ticked over I was called up (there was only 1 other person waiting for the whole time I was waiting – 15 minutes). They were very comprehensive, took blood pressure, blood samples, urine samples (tested on the spot in their onsite lab), temperature, weight, height. I was in the Doc office for 1 whole hour, they left nothing to chance. All for a stomach virus which passed in a day, and it cost me $150 including all the test (I paid in full as I did’nt have local health insurance, it was to be later claimed by my travel insurance). The last time I went to the doc in AU they never touched me, or even consider doing a basic blood pressure. No service at all from the AU doctors

I plan on heading back on a permanent basis i n6 months, and Im looking forward to the great service you get in the USA health system if I ever need it.

The Aus health system is decaying.

Hmmm… I had a different experience.

I went in to my usual medical practice to have my stitches remove as well, around 9am on a Tuesday, without an appointment since I was told it could be removed by any nurse who would be available on the day. Either I misunderstood or was misinformed, because they weren’t able to accommodate me at that time, but they put me into a timeslot around lunchtime the same day.

Come appointed time, I wasn’t expecting it but the doctor who operated on me came in and quickly checked that the stitches were ready to come out, albeit he appeared to be in a rush, no doubt under pressure from the queue of patients he needed to see before the day ended. I don’t think I waited (although I was there 5min earlier than my appointed time) and then was out of there in 20min.

Cost was $300 all up for the surgery ($170 after Medicare rebate) and no extra for taking the stitches out.

I don’t want to seem affiliated with the medical practice so I’m not going to refer it here, other than to say I live in the Inner North.

Maybe it was a fluke for me? I hope not…

I too have been made to wait up to 1hr 45min for my my doctor and is usually booked 3-5 days out. Only last week I rung up for an appointment (I only needed a referal for a standard pregnancy u/sound which she should have given me at previous visit – an extra cost of $71 which I was not happy about but I digress…)and the receptionist advised me that there had just been a cancellation so if i could make it within the next 15 minutes she could see me (maybe it was the tears that made her so sympathetic???). Anyway I arrived within 10 minutes, and then proceeded to wait for 1 hour and 15 minutes – if they were so far behind why would they schedule an unimportant (for them I assume)visit? I also found out that my dr double books – why? She is always running behind.

There are some serious issues with our healthcare system – if only I had the answers!

I think a generational war is coming in this country.

Old folks just can’t resist a free 20 minute chat with the doctor every few days billed to medicare.

Old folks just can’t resist doing their banking between 12:15pm and 1:45pm, when the bank tellers are off to lunch, and when working people are desperately trying to get their occasional over the counter transaction over and done with during their extremely rare and valuable lunch break minutes.

Old folks are sitting on the real estate and won’t sell houses to needy young families and downsize unless they get a sale price so high that the young family will be up to their neck in debt for forty years.

Old folks got the chance at free university from the Whitlam years all the way through until the Hawke years. Nowadays you pay the earth, get lumbered with debt, and have to deal with the educational challenge of being in classes full of non-english speaking students that clearly cheated in their entrance exams.

Old folks got to put away no money for superannuation and have an expectation that they will get an age pension for life, while young folks have to pay heavy taxes to keep the aged with their pensions while simultaneously putting money into superannuation, leaving very little left over for expensive rents, expensive houses, expensive fuel, expensive education..

Need I go on?

Youth of the world, Unite!

I love the way the Kingston Family Practice can keep you waiting for close to half an hour even when you are the first appointment of the day.

Their male receptionist comes across as someone who failed to make the cut for Big Brother because he was too thick. When my wife went to take two sick toddlers there last week he assured her that the doctor was running on time. There were two people waiting ahead when she arrived there less than 15 minutes later.