Noosa News
Chronic rural doctor shortage could see a virtual specialist oversee Katherine’s emergency room
Emergency room doctors and nurses in the Northern Territory town of Katherine could be overseen by a virtual specialist thousands of kilometres away, as a chronic shortfall in physicians continues to plague rural Australia.
Key points:
- The NT government is looking for a virtual specialist to manage Katherine’s emergency room
- Tender documents say a shortfall in staff has compromised the hospital’s ability to care for patients
- The Rural Doctors Association says a specialist should be “on the ground”
Luring and retaining doctors to the isolated town, 300 kilometres south-east of Darwin, has long proven difficult, but the struggle has now reached new heights.
For the past five months, the town’s hospital — which services a regional…
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