– Is there a Doctor in the town?

j Bundeena Bundeena Info Navigation:   Home arrowNews arrowDevelopment News arrow Is there a Doctor in the town? ]]>HomeAccommodationAbout BundeenaRoyal National ParkThings to doBundeena MarketsTourism InfoBeachesNewsLocal NewsDevelopment NewsRoyal National Park NewsBundeenaInfo NewsEventsReal Estate ReportBusiness DirectoryFerry TimetableBus TimetableMapsPhoto GalleryVideo LibraryClubs & GroupsNewsletterPollsLinksSearchServicesAbout UsContact UsFacebook Advertisement]]> Is there a Doctor in the town?Friday, 21 September 2007 ]]>

Bundeena Doctors by the Sea
The ongoing saga of a finding a Doctor for Bundeena Maianbar continues.

The Doctors by the Sea practice had only just staffed a full time Doctor in October of last year only to see him gone by June.

The problems have arisen in part by Bundeena Maianbar losing it’s NSW “area of need” status. As a result it’s complicated the ability to recruit an out of country doctor so they can get quick accreditation and get additional top up salary funding. There is a shortage of doctors in Australia with most preferring to work in large urban centres where they can get a high traffic of patients.

The lack of a doctor in Bundeena has impacted both residents and businesses. Residents have a long 50km round trip car commute  to get medical services in Sutherland or alternatively have to go to Cronulla by ferry. This is an inconvenience for those without car access as well as the eldery. Business are also suffering as residents are more likely to do shopping and have prescriptions filled out of town.

The application approval  for “area of need” status has been complicated by the fact that Bundeena Maianbar share the same postal code as Cronulla which does not meet the criteria. The practice was able to get the “area of need” status previously through the help of a large petition by local residents. NSW Health granted the “area of need” status on a one off temporary twelve month basis. This status expired in June of this year.

As it turned out Doctor’s by the Sea never ended up accessing the benefits of the “area of need” status since they never hired an out of country doctor. Things did not work out with the doctor they did hire and since his departure the practice has been operating on a limited basis using casual doctors supplied by agencies.

Though the “area of need” status had lapsed no attempt was made to renew it until late August when a potential out of country doctor showed interest in moving to Bundeena. The application is still under review by NSW Health.

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