Kalbarri GP Clinic to Close, Leaving Residents with Long Travel for Healthcare

Residents in the Midwest town of Kalbarri will face at least a two-hour round trip to see a doctor, after the local GP announced it would close in June.

Kalbarri, 570 kilometres north of Perth, is a popular coastal destination for tourists and home to about 1,500 people.

Yesterday, the town's only GP, Kalbarri Doctors Surgery, announced it would close on June 25 after being unable to stay afloat since shifting to a fully bulk-billed model.

It is not the first doctor's clinic to close in the region, with the neighbouring town of Northampton temporarily losing its doctor's surgery last July.

The announcement has come as a shock to residents who are worried about how the community will cope.

Bulk billing sinks GP

MediBloom previously operated Northampton Doctor's Surgery, which is 100km away from its Kalbarri clinic.

Director Christopher Hamilton said he was "deeply saddened" to close the Kalbarri clinic, but it was no longer financially viable since switching to a fully bulk-billed model.

At the last federal election, the Albanese government pledged to make nine out of 10 GP visits free by the end of the decade.

Mr Hamilton said the model did not account for regional operating costs, which also led to the closure of the Northampton practice.

"For clinics like ours, the available support has not matched the cost of delivering safe, compliant and accessible care in a remote community," he said.

The Northampton clinic was reopened by a different provider in November under a 12-month trial.

"Kalbarri deserves local healthcare. We are deeply saddened that we have reached this point," Mr Hamilton said.

'Fall like dominoes'

Panaceum Group operates multiple medical practices further south of Kalbarri in the regional hub of Geraldton.

With the financial backing of the Shire of Northampton, the business has stationed a GP in the town three or four days a week.

Panaceum director Ian Taylor said Midwest practices were already stretched.

Mr Taylor said local governments were increasingly having to intervene, putting unfair costs on ratepayers.

"The federal government is not providing adequate resources for general practices to be able to survive and operate in rural and remote locations," he said.

A federal government spokesperson said they understood regional residents faced greater challenges due to "tyranny of distance" and investment was tailored to meet remote needs.

"Bulk-billing incentives are paid to GPs for every patient they bulk bill, and this payment is scaled by remoteness with Kalbarri GPs receiving a rebate 180 per cent more than metro locations," they said.

"The investment is prioritising regional and rural areas with half of government-funded GP training occurring in regional areas."

Residents worried

Monica Muellner and her husband moved from Bunbury to Kalbarri for a sea change 14 months ago.

Being a diabetic and also recently diagnosed with breast cancer, Ms Muellner said she relied on her local GP.

"I need blood tests every three months and to go in and have a chat with a doctor about how things are going," she said.

"Only a few weeks ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, so mentally it's a huge hurdle, but it's lovely to be able to just go to the doctors and have a talk about it."

Ms Muellner said having a doctor who lived in town and served the community was irreplaceable.

"It can't be replaced because you know them [the doctor] quite well … when you've got any concerns mentally or if you're not doing too well, they're a great source of reassurance," she said.

"There's plenty of elderly people [in Kalbarri], and I don't know how they'll get to see a doctor because they can't drive."

Ms Muellner said she and her husband were considering moving again to where healthcare services were guaranteed.

"In the back of our minds, we're starting to think, have we done the right thing and can we actually stay here and live here [without a doctor]?" she said.

Kalbarri resident of 10 years, Sue Smith, said the closure was "devastating".

"I've been very unwell at times in the past, and there's been no hesitation about finding me an appointment when I need it," she said.

"People might not be able to get themselves [from Kalbarri] to Geraldton because of their health … I think they'll feel less inclined [to seek medical help]."