Rural health Tasmania: Locals share their horror stories

Three months to see a psychologist amid a post-natal mental health spiral, six weeks to get a prescription, four-hour round trips for basic services – Tasmanians share their stories.

It took Bicheno mum Tabitha Horsley Noonan three months to see a psychologist to help address an “acute” mental health spiral following the birth of her daughter Isla in early 2021 and she couldn’t secure a follow-up appointment for a further six weeks.

Ms Horsley Noonan has shared her experience in the hope of seeing improved health outcomes for regional Tasmanians in advance of this year’s federal election.

“My mental health deteriorated significantly in between,” she said.

“My psychologist is really, really great but her books in Bicheno are full so you just can’t get an appointment unless you could travel to St Marys or St Helens and I just wasn’t in that position with a small baby.

“To be referred to the mother and baby unit in Hobart as a public patient, I had to have contact with six different health care teams around the state and make 40+ phone calls.

“The care I got when I arrived there was great.

“It’s so, so good that the government funds those beds – I was there for five weeks with my baby, fully paid for by public health – but if you weren’t incredibly determined, highly educated or if English wasn’t your first language, you just wouldn’t have a chance at navigating your way through the system.

Bicheno mum Tabitha Horsley Noonan with daughter Isla. Picture: Supplied

“And I obviously had to leave my home, husband and community in order to get those five weeks of treatment in Hobart.”

Another Bicheno resident to share her experiences with the east coast’s patchy health services is Debbie Gall.

Ms Gall, who is the full-time carer of her 15-year-old son, who lives with ASD and ADHD, as well as juggling care of her emphysemic brother and her own health conditions.

“I’ve had a hell of a battle with the healthcare system,” she said.

Ms Gall, who doesn’t drive, is forced to rely on community cars to go to Launceston for most of her and her son’s appointments, but this presents its own set of problems.

“And if there’s no community car, we just cancel the appointment and don’t go,” she said.

“I’m meant to go and have a bone density test, that’s a two-hour trip each way to Launceston in the community car and trying to get somebody to keep an eye on Nick while I have that test done.

“(And that’s hard because) we don’t have many friends as I am always doing stuff for my son, people don’t really understand what it’s like to be a full-time carer.

“Especially a carer who has to be carer, mum and best friend while also supporting other family members and is always permanently exhausted because of my own health issues and lack of services in Bicheno and surrounding area.

“I can’t find any support for me – I can’t even get a normal person in Bicheno clean my house for an per week.”

There has, however, been one point of light for the Galls’ recently – the opening of an occupational therapy clinic in Bicheno which means Nick’s fortnightly treatment can be delivered locally.

Bicheno mum Debbie Gall with her son Nick. Picture: Supplied

These east coast horror stories come a month after the Meander Valley town of Westbury, near Launceston, had its own dance with peril after Westbury Doctors Surgery GP Dr Sergei Kisselev had conditions put on his licence by AHPRA, which led to the clinic’s unexpected closure for a week.

This was particularly disastrous for the community as Dr Kisselev was the town’s only GP with spare capacity and led to patients foregoing vital prescription medication and presenting the pharmacies with serious chest infections and dangerously high blood-pressure.

Even after the clinic’s reopening, issues with access for the Westbury community continued.

“I rang today and got told I’ll have to wait (six weeks), I can’t wait that long to be seen, I have medications that I need,” said one concerned local.

“Being told I need to wait for (that long) is just not right.”

Minister for Regional Health Dr David Gillespie said the Coalition Government is “focused on providing the best health care outcomes for regional, rural and remote Tasmanians”.

Minister for Regional Health Dr David Gillespie MP. Picture: David Foote

“The Liberal and Nationals Government is investing record levels of funding to improve access for Tasmanian patients to GPs, nurses, allied health professionals and specialist doctors, while also providing funding to train more health professionals locally, including a specific pathway for rural generalist doctors, which are those with additional hospital skills like obstetrics, anaesthetics or emergency medicine.”

He pointed to a variety of programs, such as the Stronger Rural Health Strategy, National Health Reform Agreement, Community Health and Hospitals Program, Rural Health Multidisciplinary Training, Australian General Practice Training, Specialist Training Program, Rural Junior Doctor Training Innovation Fund, National Rural Generalist Pathway, Rural Bulk Billing Incentives, Workforce Incentive Program, and the Rural Health Outreach Fund, as evidence of this commitment.