Readers Write: You tell us your views and your comments

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No such moral dilemma for William Wallace (NSW) who sent no less than nine separate links to the No such moral dilemma for William Wallace (NSW) who sent no less than nine separate links to the Not Happy John website, even extending to http://www.expage.com/limericks04a if you have a yen for the lure of the limerick!

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The health issue continues to resonate, particularly for Philip Herringer (SA) who writes in reply to Tanveer Ahmed’s Creating new medical schools in new universities won’t cure doctor shortages: “The real reason for the scarcity of doctors in Australia is too hot for all exponents to handle. Whilst one can sit at home and study from a book most of what is required to become a lawyer or teacher or social worker as well as other mainly humanities categories, medicine requires practical training in theory and practice. Laboratories are requited for anatomical expertise and pathology. Patients are required for examination and operation. The former requires university facilities, the latter hospital. Hospitals cannot be built just to train future doctors who are going to be part timers. It is akin to building a Sydney Harbour bridge for cyclists.

"But what is happening to day is that the greater percentage of medical students are female.  Those who marry (or partner) get attached to fellow medical practitioners and then choose to work part time. Those females who enter such a lifestyle situation usually choose a person of equal or higher socio economic status, most often from the legal and financial professions. Not too many marry teachers or bricklayers. They can therefore afford either not to work or to work part time. In times gone by, few graduates were women, most doctors married nurses, and the household income was provided by the male partner. So 90 per cent plus of medical graduates went into general practice or specialist practice. Further, they were content to raise families in the country. Today's female graduates, even if they wish to work full time and are married, are hardly likely to “drag” their professional husbands or partners to the country.

"So the shortage is created by the numbers of female graduates in the first instance and secondly by those who do not wish to go to the country. The same is happening with dentists, pharmacists and veterinary surgeons. In the case of the last mentioned, the majority of females do not wish to do large animal practice, which is rural based except for race horses, and we have a dearth of veterinary practices in the suburbs. To make a living, they create situations for clients to bring their small animals to them....a sort of hypochondriac owner situation fostered by the veterinarian.

"I don't have the solution....unless it is a drastic one in the case of doctors. As the taxpayers pay for the facilities used to educate and train doctors, some form of national registration which issues certificates for practice....compulsory hours of practice in a year, month, week. Compulsory rural practice for a period. There are rules and regulations about the number and location of pharmacies in a city so similar measures for medical practitioners is not draconian. Just yesterday in Gawler South Australia, I saw a very new suburban area, which sits opposite a relatively new and 'up market' Anglican school. Right opposite the school gates, an orthodontist has set up rooms with a sign that even Mosstrooper would baulk at (many years ago in Melbourne there was a steeple chaser that was a champion.....hence the term “that would stop Mosstrooper”).....and we know the zillions orthodontists make out of children. Of course he wouldn't be at that location if it were a poor State school. So just a few thoughts!!!!”