GRIPES

[pmccarthy]

In our town Castlemaine Vic there are no doctors taking on any new patients. But still they come. Hospital can’t cope with overflow, has no emergency department.

 

 

[Litespeed]

The problem is not enough places at uni.

 

It is a complete lack of training places to become a qualified doctor. No good spending years at uni to throw the student under a bus for lack of a hospital placement.

 

The doctors Mafia , the AMA strangles the places to protect their mates.

 

I agree, change the medicare and for doctors that won't bulk bill the poor- ban them from access to medicare. That will mix things up.

 

 

[Marty_d]

Is it though? I'd assume that most public hospitals are training hospitals - I know the Royal here in Hobart is. I also know it's chock full of interns and "baby doctors" (not paediatricians) so I don't know how they could fit any more.

 

I might be wrong in those assumptions, I only have a sample of 1 hospital to go on.

 

 

[Litespeed]

Many so called training hospitals do not have places. It is up to the senior docs who call the shots.

 

Some of the biggest Sydney hospitals are banned from training at the moment over sexual harrassment and bullying. It is very .much a bully boys club esp surgical.

 

 

[old man emu]

Have you ever met a specialist doctor who wasn't at the least a snob, and at the worst an arrogant prick?

 

 

[Jerry_Atrick]

Dare I say, immiration can help.. except Australia apparently has some outmoded cerification requirements for foreign docs (going from my sis-in-law, who is English trained but was not entirely convinced of the virtues of the certification in Aus of foreign GPs - especially since, after med school in the UK, they have to do extra academic studies to be a GP compared to coming out of one's training year in Aus, they can become a GP.. although having said that, GPs in Aus do much more than GPs here..

 

Anyway, case in point.. I was in Tocumwal about 25 years ago with my girlfriend (now partner). She came off her bicycle and being not off terriblyk much experience decided to use her lower calf to cushion the main chain sprocket from hitting the turf.. Apart from her shock athow sharp they can be and some haemoglobin oozing out, the biggest shock for her was how fast flies can congregate.. We rode back at speed and cleaned it all up. I suggested we go to the local GP to get it looked at to be on the safe side.. The local GP was an Indian - and a decent chap, too. He tended to my partner well we were off..

 

Fast forward 5 years or so and we have moved to Melbourne with my then 9 month old son. We had a weekend at Phillip Island and my son had an issue that caused him to have Strida. We asked the manager of the motel we were staying in who the local GP is and asked for their out of hours number. In no uncertain terms she said the best bet was the local private hospital as the GP was a contakerous old git during normal hours. We arrived, at about midnight, at the local private hospital "A&E/Casualty". It was not open, but there was an out of hours doorbell. We rung it, and the door of a caravan flung open about a half a minute later from a caravan perched on the other side of the driveway. Out stepped a young Indian doctor, still donning his white/lab coat. We apologised profusely for interrupting him and his repose was, and I paraphrase only slightly, no problems at all, he loves what he does and he os happy to be given the opportunity to do it.

 

Fast forward a few years and we are back in London.. My daughter has roken her arm and we rush her in to the local hospital. She is attended to by some great staff.. working some streesulf and definitely under funded/resourced conditions. After she is plastered, my partner takes our daughter in ever week for an X-Ray and checkup. The 6th week and the plaster is finally due to come off. They don't even take an x-ray. The mainly British staff are vey happy, but the Pakistani head of orthopedics takes a quick look at the previous week's Xrays and asks when is our daughter booked in for her op.. The local trained people missed it.. the foreigner picked it up..They seem to be trained pretty well...

 

@OME.. the ortho I just mentioend was down to earth; the snot-nosed stuffy types you refer to seem to be from the WASP (white Anglo Saxon) origin... It's why we have shortages in Aus..

 

 

[octave]

After doing a bit reading it seems that we are training more doctors than before and also more than most countries. The problem it seems is distribution. I lived in a country town where the local GP would do rounds at the hospital and aged care home as well as GP duties and as this town was on a major highway with one of the highest accident rates in the country they were also attending traumatic crashes. Doesn't sound like an appealing workplace for a young doctor with a large HECS debt.

 

This is worth a read for those who are interested in the more than just the headline.

 

How can Australia have too many doctors, but still not meet patient needs?

 

 

[Litespeed]

A GP is actually a specialist doctor here in oz. The specialize in general practice and will often pick up the things the others specialists miss.

 

You must do considerable study and time in a variety of gp practices before been a verified gp.

 

A quality GP is not a mere doctor.

 

I am lucky mine is brilliant and when not in residence is training the new GP's or outback doing remote health or the same in Africa.

 

Does make getting to see her tough sometimes.

 

I have had the misfortune of seeing lots of specialists for me and work. A lot are arrogant turds, and miss lots of things blind Freddy would see.

 

 

[Litespeed]

The absolute worst......

 

Bloody oncologist, will keep pushing treatment even the day you go to push up Daisy's.

 

 

[red750]

I'm quite happy with my oncologist. After the operation, started out with fortnightly checkups till it was clear I was in remission, then gradually extended to 6 monthly, just to confirm it is not metastasizing - you are never fully cured. I've passed the average life expectancy post op. No treatment, just a blood test. Results OK? See you in 6 months. (metastasizing - spreading to other parts of the body).

 

 

[Bruce]

There sure is a distribution problem, with the country being an undesirable place. In the city, a difficult case can be offloaded to specialists whereas in the country, the doctor can be left well out of his comfort zone. That's why I reckon country doctors need protection from the legal system.

 

It is not my experience that anglo specialists are arrogant. Very wealthy and very competent and quite friendly is how I would describe the very few I have met.

 

There was an Indian opthalmologist once who impressed my by saying how I would need reading glasses in a year or 2. He said this after examining my eyes, and I was impressed but he wouldn't say how he knew this.

 

Well a year or so later, I was getting reading glasses and I asked the optician just how this specialist knew. " Not from looking in your eyes but from reading your age in the card you filled out " I was told.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

Few of the specialists I've seen have been arrogant; most have taken the time to treat me like a person.

 

Some medicos either have amazing skills or are tapping into some strong morphic fields...

 

Yonks ago an eye doc started his examination by looking into my left eye from about 3m away with a powerful light and lens.

 

He casually asked if that eye had been injured when I was about 14.

 

I had almost forgotten the time when a slug gun ricochet had hit that eye...when I was 14.

 

 

[facthunter]

Just a lucky guess or he's psychic. (like Me, sometimes). Doesn't work at the horse races though, or I'd have a beaut aeroplane. Nev

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

I suspect his detailed knowledge of the development of the human eye told him what stage it had been damaged.

 

 

[spacesailor]

"Have you ever met a specialist doctor who wasn't at the least a snob, and at the worst an arrogant prick? "

 

YES

 

The wifes Neurosurgeon.

 

He had a good laugh when I asked if I could get a "Memory-Chip" in My head

 

spacesailor

 

 

[willedoo]

"Have you ever met a specialist doctor who wasn't at the least a snob, and at the worst an arrogant prick? "YES

 

The wifes Neurosurgeon.

 

He had a good laugh when I asked if I could get a "Memory-Chip" in My head

 

spacesailor

Must be a neurosurgeon thing. The one I go to, you wouldn't get a nicer bloke.

 

 

[Marty_d]

Have you ever met a specialist doctor who wasn't at the least a snob, and at the worst an arrogant prick?

Yep. The surgeon who saved my daughter's life when she was born and did her regular post-surgical appointments up until last year (unfortunately he moved interstate).

 

Absolute gentleman, Irish, great sense of humour. Apparently all the ladies thought he was hot stuff too (my wife always liked taking our girl to the appointments!) but despite this had not an ounce of vanity, snobbery or arrogance.

 

 

[pmccarthy]

I will second that, have had more to do with surgeons than I wished but they are hard-working gentlemen. Will respond at all hours to a phone call if you are in the care of hospital staff.

 

 

[willedoo]

The other notable specialist I've known was a heart specialist who did an ultrasound stress test on me. He was Indian born, middle aged, and by his accent, I'd guess he'd been here twenty years or so. A Buddist I would guess by the pictures on the reception wall. Extremely polite, humble and proficient. A real gentleman.

 

The worst I've been to was an ear specialist. Ignorant, arrogant t*rd is the most polite description I could give. It's a shame people like him are put in the same boat as the many excellent specialists.

 

 

[spacesailor]

"The worst I've been to was an ear specialist:'"

 

Also eye specialist, ( Ophthalmologists differ from optometrists and opticians in their levels of training and in what they can diagnose and treat. ).

 

Never told me what or if anything was wrong. .

 

spacesailor

 

 

[Litespeed]

My absolute worst was my Nephrologist , a entitled professor who was as arrogant as possibly be.

 

Absolutely no compassion, no human skills and spent all of two minutes reviewing my case. My case is only one in country, incredibly rare. He just grunted and said f all.

 

Would not even give a considered opinion about how the apparently impossible has happened not once but twice.

 

But damn happy to take his fees and further guinea pig tests for more fees.

 

I have shrunken walnuts for kidneys after a arterial renal thrombosis that nearly killed me and killed the tissue.

 

Having a extra kidney was cool until the could never happen did ten years later in the other kidney.

 

The expert was as useless as tits on bull but far more expensive. And no they will not give a new kidney as the risk is too high.

 

Makes enjoying a beer bloody hard.

 

And I hate taking rat poison every day but thin my blood I must. Even a small cut becomes a blood sport like someone was killed in the kitchen.

 

Good times

 

 

[Bruce]

The way specialists are chosen needs reforming . Hundreds of hungry GP's study hard and "fail" exams until a relative of the in-group appears.

 

Any other trade would prosper if they had the ability to deny entry into their ranks and if they had a government-enforced monopoly. Electricians would be the same as specialists. Their wives would get used to $20,000 a week pocket money.

 

The government did it this way in order to limit their numbers and therefore the payments. I reckon we would be better off without any government interference at all.

 

 

[octave]

The government did it this way in order to limit their numbers and therefore the payments. I reckon we would be better off without any government interference at all.

With all of its problems, I would much rather have a serious illness or injury in this country than most other countries.

 

 

[spacesailor]

"With all of its problems, I would much rather have a serious "

 

Then Why are so many Australians going overseas for their surgery ?.

 

Australia does Not have Lime disease. Unless you send your blood-sample to USA. ("The report said while there was no evidence of Lyme, Australians did acquire unusual novel infections and some commonly recognised infections from ticks")

 

spacesailor

 

 

[Bruce]

There was a story about a clinic run by australians planned for opening in PNG. It could offer half-price operations in theory, because it would be free from the australian legal system.

 

Does anybody know more about this?