‘Why would a doctor go to the bush where you’re a lone wolf making life-threatening decisions?’
Obstetrician Dr Lilach Leibenson and other doctors have fronted an inquiry to describe the ‘crisis’ in staffing maternity and other non-GP specialty services.
This question was posed to politicians on Monday as part of a parliamentary investigation into the deepening crisis affecting rural NSW was blunt and a tough one to answer
It ran as follows: “Why would you go to the bush where you’re a lone wolf and making life-threatening decisions on a daily basis, with no immediate help available to help you make those decisions?”
It was raised by the Australian Salaried Medical Officers’ Federation (ASMOF) which represents thousands of doctors across the state.Â
Obstetrician Dr Lilach Leibenson was one of those who also gave evidence, telling the pollies that Tamworth Hospital, which covers much of north-west NSW, faced an almost 60% deficit in its midwifery staff.
