Isolated GPs are being offered health check-ups without having to leave their own practices, thanks to a new program that sends out travelling doctors into the bush.

Doctors’ Health SA launched its rural doctor check-up service last weekend, with the aim of reaching GPs who usually could only be treated by doctors they knew or worked with in their own local communities.

The program’s medical director, Dr Roger Sexton, says GPs working in sparsely populated areas can also be hours from the closest clinic, leading some to attempt to manage their own health conditions.

“These doctors often resort to sorting out their own issues in a whole range of ways, including managing all their symptoms and problems themselves,” he says.