GPsearch stepped up

By Kath Gannaway
THE Yarra Glen Medical Precinct Group (YGMPG) ramped up its lobbying last week in a desperate bid to get a doctor for the town.
The new clinic, Cameron House, is ready to go but, so far, attempts to attract a doctor have been futile.
YGMPG head Dorothy Barber and member Marjorie Woollands met last week with Seymour MP Ben Hardman, and Ms Barber followed up with an address to Yarra Ranges Council to highlight the problems they were facing, and look for some answers.
Showing Mr Hardman around the clinic, the women said they were becoming frustrated by the impediments they and some of the health professionals they were talking to were facing.
Ms Barber said some of the overseas doctors sent out by the organisation that provides doctors to rural areas had shown interest but did not meet the criteria for a sole practice.
“They can’t practice here because they need on-site supervision. Others can have remote supervision from a doctor at another clinic, but we need to find someone who is willing to do that,” Ms Barber said.
A proposal for a practice nurse to operate from the clinic was not suitable either, Ms Woollands said, because they were unable to prescribe medicines.
“We have older people here who need to see a doctor to get prescriptions renewed, and we have a pharmacy in the town, so we need a doctor who can meet these needs.
“They need to work out some of these demarcations that exist between the different levels of practitioners so when we organise something it actually meets the needs of this community.”
One health professional was keen to start but could not get insurance because the building had no security, she said.
The YGMPG is in the process of installing security, as well as cabling for computers, to ensure that when a suitably qualified practitioner turns up, the group will be able to meet his or her requirements.
“Every barrier that rises up before us, we are determined to pull down, and we are doing that,” Ms Woollands said.
She said the Yarra Glen community had rallied beyond any expectation to transform a run-down house into a clinic.
They are now looking for support from all levels of government to ensure the next crucial step, getting an on-site GP, is achieved.