By Goya Dmytryshchak
Many doctors have closed the book on new patients and are not providing face-to-face treatment during the COVID-19 crisis, even for unrelated medical issues.
It comes amid high demand for flu vaccinations and as bulk-billing is introduced for all telehealth consults via phone or video, as part of a $1.1 billion funding boost.
The Clinic Williamstown practice manager Angela Judd said some practices were not seeing patients in person.
“I think a lot of them are not taking new patients,” she said.
“That’s the problem – a lot of places are only doing telehealth.
“Patients still have needs that have to be addressed physically and so we need to take on, where it’s appropriate, patients like that.
“For example, we did a wound dressing on a patient, where their clinic was only doing telehealth, that had never been here before.”
She said there was currently a waiting list for flu vaccinations.
“For the flu injections, we’re only obviously seeing our patients,” she said.
“We are taking new patients but we triage everybody on the phone that rings.
“Most people, we’re doing telehealth calls now, especially for scripts and minor medical matters.”
Laverton Medical Centre’s Danielle Willox said the practice was taking phone consults.
“We’re also not taking on new patients at the moment,” she said.
“If they’re corona, we’re not equipped at all. We’re stopping people. There’s a big sign out the door saying don’t come in.
“Even with colds and flus, we’re just saying that we’re not seeing you, we’ll do a phone consult, and if we suspect it’s corona we’re giving out the number to the clinic because we’re not equipped for it.
“We are doing flu injections but we’re doing it by appointment.”
