Like many others, I’m substituting a planned overseas holiday this year with a local trip within my home state for a much-needed break from pandemic-obsessed practise.

But as I visit regional cities and rural towns the messages about general practice are consistently depressing.

Locals joke that they must plan their illnesses weeks in advance due to lack of service availability — not realising that this dilemma is not unique to regional and rural communities.

The pandemic has accelerated a recognition that general practice has been in the doldrums for some time — a less popular career choice for medical graduates and failing to respond to a rapidly changing world.