News 
 Local News 
 News 
 General 
 Mining villages lose only doctor 

Mining villages lose only doctor

23 May, 2002 10:23 AM
Sheepyard resident Denise Kent said she was devastated when she heard their only visiting doctor to the Grawin, Glengarry and the Sheepyard villages would no longer be visiting their community.

Ms Kent said Dr Caitlin Jobson who worked for the Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service had been making monthly visits to the villages for at least six months.

"We were happy she had committed herself to coming out here, no doubt her workload would have been heavy, because before this we didn't have any doctor visiting for the past couple of years."

Ms Kent said Dr Jobson was a good doctor which is what the three communities needed.

She said initially visits had been one day a month, but they were increased to two days per month at the end of last year.

Ms Kent said she was very dependent on Dr Jobson's service, because she was a carer for her partner Kevin Edwards who was a patient of Dr Jobson.

She said the Grawin,Glengarry and Sheepyard Mining Association (GGSMA) had specifically allocated a room for Dr Jobson, at their new mining office building opened two months ago.

She said the last time Dr Jobson had visited was earlier this month for two days.

But Ms Kent said the worst thing is that she had unofficially heard through another patient of Dr Jobson that from now on the doctor would no longer be visiting the villages anymore.

She said she had written to local member, Ian Slack-Smith to ask him to investigate the matter.

Ms Kent said residents of the villages were under the belief that Dr Jobson would stop her visits because there were not enough Aboriginal patients living at the villages.

She said the GGSMA would be writing to all doctors in the surrounding area to ask if any of them would consider regular visits to the villages.

"We really need a good doctor like Dr Jobson, we'll be writing to her to ask her if she could please come back."

Ms Kent said since she heard the news, it had been a very distressful and disturbing time.

She said at least 150 people relied on Dr Jobson's service.

"It leaves an uncertainty about whether we will be able to get a new doctor.

"She (Dr Jobson) was healing people and got to know their medical issues and needs, she really helped," She said.

Ms Kent blamed bureaucracy for the cause of many doctors no longer visiting small and remote communities.

"I don't believe most doctors are supported by the organisation they work for to come out to the villages.

"A lot comes down to bureaucracy, but they're playing with people's lives," she said.

However, The Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service's (WAMS), chief executive officer, Christine Corby, revealed Dr Jobson had resigned from the service.

Ms Corby said WAMS didn't have any other doctors at the moment.

She said prior to Dr Jobson the service didn't have a GP for a couple of years.

But Ms Corby said if a new doctor came onboard the possibility of sending the person out to the villages would be considered, but was of course dependent on the doctors background, experience and qualifications.

Meanwhile, member for Barwon, Ian Slack-Smith, said he had written to the health minister, Craig Knowles to see if someone could be lined up to visit the villages.

e said he had also written to the Aboriginal affairs minister, Andrew Refshauge, to ask for help, because there were some Aboriginal people that lived in the small mining communities as well.

Mr Slack-Smith said he would be expecting a reply within the next few weeks.

Print
Increase Text Size
Decrease Text Size

Most popular articles




The Ridge News







Weather brought to you by:

Weatherzone

Front Page

Current Issue
Privacy Policy | Conditions of Use | Advertising Terms | Copyright © 2012. Fairfax Media.
 SEND...
 SAVE...
 SHARE...