The increasing shortage of doctors in St Helens Hospital, Tasmania have been blamed on issues within the north-east Tasmanian practice.
Excessive workload was the reason given by most doctors for quitting.According to Government health adviser Dr George Cerchez there have been more doctors recruited to St Helens than any other hospital in the state and blamed the high turnover is to internal issues.
He opined that only 94 of the patients seen at St Helens Hospital over the last nine months were acutely ill, while the rest were general practice patients who should have been seen at private practice.
However the Break of Day Health Resource Association claimed that the doctor shortage was a statewide problem. A public meeting organized by the organization was attended by over 200 people who supported the recent resignation.
The St Helens community has demanded the State Government take responsibility for the ongoing crisis.
The chairwoman of the association Gail Paulsen stated that the community resolved to demand more funding "to fund or partly fund a permanent doctor at the St Helens District Hospital, to help with the workload from the doctors".
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