HOW long is too long to wait to see a specialist?
I remember, in my heyday, the speciality of dermatology was on top of the wish list of many of my class fellows when it came to choosing to train at postgraduate level.
The reason (they used to joke) was, among other things, that skin diseases never entailed emergency calls, and rarely led to a patient’s death. Dermatologists did not even need to invest in a stethoscope to start a practice, unlike many other specialists who would need lots of equipment and would have to rely on an army of people to
be able to do their jobs.
Perhaps partly due to its popularity it was, and evidently still is, a speciality not easy to break into. However, the real reason, I believe, is the limit on the number of training positions available.
It seems to me not many workforce planners have tried to determine what a reasonable patient/dermatologist ratio is and where Australia stands in the Ivy League of dermatologists.
The net result is that it takes several months in the area where I practise to see a skin specialist. I am not in the ‘Never Never Land’ or surrounds, but on the Mornington Peninsula, which is one of the most desirable population centres in Australia and well endowed with all manner of facilities.
Of course, many other specialities are not far behind in the waiting time contest. In my experience, even a psychiatric or orthopaedic evaluation may be up to four months after you ring for an appointment. Seeing a paediatrician in my neighbourhood takes as long, or even longer.
The reason for this situation is highly unlikely to be a lack of candidates willing to train in these specialities.
Neither is it likely to be a lack of facilities to train them. There are at least a dozen world class teaching hospitals in Melbourne alone.
