IS IT a third world country? Maybe it's second world country. Is there a second world, is that even a thing? In any case, we are not in Kansas any more Toto, we are in regional NSW.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
In what I think of as reasonably big towns – Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie – the health care system is completely behind Sydney or Brisbane.
These two coastal towns are actually considered cities, and yet it seems like we've gone back in a time machine here in many ways. If you go to a medical centre in this region, some of the doctors are taking patients every 30 to 60 minutes. I can only deduce that they are not paid on a per patient basis.
The most disturbing anomaly is actually when you need to make an appointment for a simple test or book in with a specialist of any kind. The doctor’s receptionist won't make an appointment for you when you call for that purpose. They must be sent the referral first. Then they will presumably decide when they'll see you based on how interesting your case is. The onus is obviously on the referring GP to make your malady as interesting as possible to enable a faster booking.
Then the specialist's secretary will call you, you will of course miss the call, and they will leave a message to advise an impossible date and time for you to see the doctor.
So, even if you need to get a simple test done, eg a fine needle biopsy (which takes all of five minutes) you will find that the person who performs this needle test must have the referral and the films handed to them before they will consider even allowing an appointment to be made. If you are wanting an appointment in Port Macquarie and your digital films are in Coffs Harbour, it makes for around 4.5 driving hours to get the actual films to the person who will do the test, just so they can look at them first before they will even consent to allowing you to make an appointment.
If, on the other hand, you are in the first world, you simply call and make a booking. You read what the referral request says to the receptionist and they make an appointment for you in one or two days time.
Peggy Cearnach, Nambucca Heads