Doctors' surgeries have a quota? Since when?
Ok, so my youngest offspring, my daughter, is unwell and showing all the signs of having developed an ear and sinus infection. We headed down to the medical surgery that our family has been using for more than 20 years to see about treatment. Ours is not a family that goes to the doctor at the sign of the slightest sniffle, but this time, going on the pain she is in, and the symptoms she is exhibiting, it seems that this time antibiotics may be required.
We arrived more than hour before scheduled closing time, only to be confronted by a locked door and a sign that says "We have reached our quota. 25/03/07".
Huh? What quota? Number of patients seen quota? Hours allowed to stay open quota? Staff payroll quota? We don't know.
Things have been deteriorating ever since my GP's medical surgery was bought out by Mayne Health (now known as Symbion Health). Opening hours have been cut back. Bulk billing has stopped. And now we see this rubbish about mysterious "quotas".
I want to go back to the days when medical surgeries were owned and run by traditional family doctors - these big multinationals have different priorities.