Dear Sir,
There were lots of local conversations about the medical service in Barraba last week. These were prompted by our town having no GP for a week. While the Northern Daily Leader and Prime News covered the issue from the point of view of cancelled Covid vaccinations, I think the bigger issue is Barraba doing without a doctor at the hospital for a week.
I feel the lack of permanent doctors in the bush is a big issue. So who is responsible for the Health System in Australia? It seems to me it’s a complex mix of service providers.
Some of the things I’ve read about that might help Barraba have a permanent doctor at the hospital include introducing a rural location allowance. There are also programs that might help doctors with the professional isolation of working in the bush. I think our political representatives need to help us get the doctor coverage at the hospital that our community needs.
Julie Fenwick
Barraba