GPs are in the trenches, while other specialists sit behind their phones

Anzac soldiers in a trench at Lone Pine, August 1915. AWM
ANZAC soldiers in a trench at Lone Pine, August 1915. AWM

Recently, I received multiple letters from our local, large public hospital rejecting many of the referrals I had made to its outpatient clinics. The letters said that they had reduced capacity due to their response to the COVID-19 epidemic and “management protocols”.

They thought it was more open and honest to say that no appointment would be offered, rather than just leave those patients in limbo.