Although we are mostly happy with life in Mount Gambier, one issue that causes concern is the lack of easy access to GPs.

Juliet made an appointment to see a doctor today and the earliest she could get in was December 3. That’s a wait of 16 days!

A patient could be dead or cured within a waiting period that long.

She has a bad cough that could be developing into bronchitis. She has a history with pneumonia, so without sounding alarmist she really should see a doctor within a couple of days, especially if it gets any worse.

That means she will have to go to the hospital and wait several hours in the emergency department until a duty doctor can see her.

I haven’t heard it properly explained why there is such a chronic shortage of GPs in Mount Gambier and why nobody appears to be doing anything about it.

I’m vaguely aware of some dispute between doctors and the hospital in the past, which means the hospital now employs more doctors than is usual in a country town this size.

In Bright (population 3000) we were normally able to see a doctor the same day if we needed to. In Kalgoorlie (30,000) we never had to wait more than two or three days.

It really is a shame that such a significant regional centre as Mount Gambier, in an attractive location, can’t recruit more GPs to work in the town.

If anyone reading this knows the real story, they can contact me confidentially. I suspect the reason goes deeper than the nationwide issues we all know about.