Thousands of patients to be left without seven doctors in Armidale health crisis

Owners of West Armidale Clinic, Dr Maree Puxty and Dr Terry Bohlson sold their practice to not-for-profit Rural And Remote Medical Services (RARMS) and are leaving the practice on February 3.

Meanwhile, two GPs and one Practice Nurse tendered their resignations to UNE Medical Centre and are expected to finish up on January 20.

A GP from Faulkner Street Medical Practice, one from the Ochre Medical Centre and another doctor from the Rusden Street Medical Practice are also leaving their roles.

Dr Puxty said the practices have been unable to obtain new doctors, which is going to put "extraordinary pressure" on the already struggling and under-resourced emergency department.

She said there are only two other GP clinics and the Armajun Aboriginal Health Service in Armidale currently accepting new patients. All other clinics are full on their books with patients.

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Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce has called on the federal government to unfreeze the Medicare rebate for GP consultations, and reverse the Distribution Priority Area decision that made overseas medical graduates do time in rural areas.

He has also asked for funding to be available for the West Armidale Clinic to provide onsite locums.

"I am calling on Health Minister, Mark Butler to do whatever he can to address this dire situation," MP Joyce said.

The UNE Medical Centre has closed its books to new clients and informed current patients they would be operating at a "reduced capacity".

A spokesperson for the university did not state how many doctors the clinic would have while they actively recruited replacement health professionals.

RARMS CEO Mark Burdack, said patients at the West Armidale Clinic would no longer be able to see a GP in-house from February 3, with visits switching to virtual appointments online.

But those who need to be seen for more serious issues, such as ear infections, can attend the clinic where a nurse will be onsite assisting the doctor who will appear via a screen, he said.

"But we are terribly worried about elderly patients and Aboriginal patients for whom virtual care is often a confronting scenario," Mr Burdack said.

RARMS has also requested funding from the NSW government to establish a Centre of Excellence at the West Armidale Clinic, to hire four senior doctors to train eight registrars and overseas GPs.

If the state government declines the funding request, RARMS could be forced to shut the clinic if charity from local business fails, Mr Burdack said, leaving some 4,000 patients without a GP.

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