NOARLUNGA'S new $25 million Super Clinic has just two GPs from a neighbouring clinic in a "terrible waste of money", doctors say.
The clinic opened last week with two doctors, following government claims it would reduce pressure on nearby Noarlunga Hospital.

AMA state president Peter Sharley said the three-storey clinic, which has 50 consulting rooms, would do little to meet community needs without new doctors.

"This clinic is not providing extra GP services for the south," he said.

He said the state and federal governments, which fund the clinics, should instead use the money to expand existing clinics and out-of-hours services.

"There are lots of GP practices in that area, it wasn't necessary to waste that money," he said.

The Noarlunga clinic houses other services including physiotherapists, psychologists and dentists but the two full-time equivalent doctors would only be available from between 8am and 5pm weekdays.

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Southern Adelaide Local Health Network general manager Chris Seiboth said Christies Beach Medical Centre was selected to provide the clinic's GP services.

"Two full-time equivalent GPs have commenced and this will rise to five full-time equivalent GPs as demand for services increase."

The clinic also has five minor procedure rooms, five rooms for groups and two training rooms.

"When the service is fully operational it's estimated they will see about 60,000 patients a year," he said.

Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Primary Health Care Andrew Southcott said State and Federal governments had spent $25 million "on this palace, and after more than four years and a worldwide search they have managed to find two GPs".

"GP Super Clinic in South Australia opened at Modbury with no doctors.

"Taxpayers will be outraged that after four years the best the State and Federal governments can do is spend $25 million to house two GPs."

It take more than 5 yrs to train a doctor and we are now suffering a shortage simply because of Howards bad policies.
Its fine to have had these budget surpluses but they came at a cost..the skills shortage and lack of trained professionals in this country is just one of the prices we've paid.
The next bottle neck will be because of Howards cuts in infustructure and research spending ..we are now reaping what Howard sowed.

There were huge cuts in the training of doctors and specialists under Howards watch and in fact Abbott was the health minister at the time.
Any complaints about the lack of doctors, specialists and surgeons should be addressed to Abbott.

Thats what we get from Howards decade of spending cuts in training and education which has left us with a massive skills shortage.
The Libs seem to think its clever to leave these problems for someone else to fix.

blackadder wrote on Mar 19^th, 2012 at 3:42pm:


remind you of the BER and building libraries for schools with 2 students?

only labor can be quite so unbeleiveably incompetent.

The Noarlunga clinic houses other services including physiotherapists, psychologists and dentists

longweekend58 wrote on Mar 19^th, 2012 at 3:53pm:


What does it cover, einstein? Well, smack me, there's Noarlunga, right smack in the middle of Adelaide's southern suburbs:

http://maps.google.com.au/maps?q=Noarlunga+Centre,+South+Australia&hl=en&ll=-35....

There must be tens of thousands in the neighbouring suburbs!

And you also might want to

Quote:


Honestly wrongwhine, I expect mindless drivel from braindeader but I would have thought you would be able to read.