One of only two GP clinics in Uralla could shut permanently after Medicare refused funding to keep the struggling practice open.
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The Uralla Medical Centre on Hill Street has about 3000 patients on its books but could close within weeks after missing a deadline for accreditation to secure Medicare aid.
Despite having submitted all his documents to the Australian General Practice Accreditation Limited AGPAL by October 20, Dr Ricardo Alkhouri was assessed by Medicare as "non-accredited" during the time he sought a missing paper.
"All was about paperwork and some silly misunderstanding about what was exactly needed," Dr Alkhouri, the only doctor at the clinic, wrote in a letter.
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The mishap would put the practice behind about $100,000 to $120,000 without Medicare funding, forcing Dr Alkhouri to close the clinic which costs at least $12,000 a week to run.
"Without this money, I have no way I could continue working and I would run out of cash very soon, and will not be able to pay my tax. In other words, bankruptcy," he wrote in the letter.
Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall has stepped in to "urgently" request the Federal Health Minister, Mark Butler, to override his own department and reinstate Medicare to the Uralla GP centre.
"Without this practice open and available for patients, I am worried that many people will endure great distress and tragic health outcomes," MP Adam Marshall said in a statement.
"We cannot afford to see this clinic close and the loss of medical expertise from the community and our region and I will do everything I can to ensure this does not happen."
The only other GP practice in town, Uralla Clinic, has two doctors on staff and they are currently running at full capacity.
The Armidale Express has contacted Minister Butler's office for a response.
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