My Doctor will be in the Netherlands !!!!! from the 15th August ! She will continue to be my GP, online and phone consultations! I am in New Zealand . My mind boggles . 😵💫😵💫 😵💫
To move to another practice here, there is usually at least a year waiting list.
I never imagined in my wildest dreams that my GP would be 11,500 miles away 😂😅🤣
I'm not very often speechless.....I am now!.........wonder how many people will be in your position, shocking.
I think speechless, was my first reaction , followed by hysterical laughter and shock. After a good nights sleep I am grateful she is not leaving us all in the lurch and is ‘taking’ us all with her , back to her homeland . It is a very busy practise, so there will be quite a few patients. Who would have ever thought ……
I'm in NZ too and wouldn't be happy with that situation. That's ridiculous. I know it's extremely hard to get an appointment even to see a Dr in person so changing your practice would be a nightmare. The problem here is often overseas locums who come and go and so you see a different Dr everytime often as well. I remember when I was a kid through to late teens I had the same family Dr for 18 years. If you really need to see a Dr (in person, not in the Netherlands) then unfortunately you'll have to go to after hours. (At your cost!!!).
Closest after hours surgery would be at least an hour or two away and I’m not sure those towns have them. Surely common sense will kick in and other practices will open their doors to extra patients.
i realise we are in a global market now but that is stretching credibility somewhat. whatever happened to common sense?
If we have no other choice, I guess we are lucky she is taking us with her. She is a good Doctor. But it’s still hard to get my head around.
I think that is taking video consultation to rather silly levels ...
What is that old saying , necessity is the mother of invention ?
Dr wants to return to her homeland and isn’t leaving her patients in the lurch . We will have no other options at this point in time, until other Doctors, see sense and take on extra patients.
Has she at least got a local physio or nurse who will do physical exams?
There are two other doctors in the practice , but they are overloaded and do not take on extra patients. There is still a receptionist, a nurse , and a health care guidance person . There is a two to three week wait period to get an online appointment to get my three monthly drug review for future prescriptions . I will certainly have to get my head in the game or miss out on pred . I’m not sure how the physical exams are going to happen on video. I’m mortified thinking about it . I‘lol cross that bridge when I come to it.
I suppose they may use her as a form of triage and if she thinks f2f is required they will do it. That sort of approach could make some sense.
F2f - please explain ?
Face to face…
I suppose all I can say is I am gobsmacked! I did know of someone in Kent in England whose GP moved to Devon and carried on with her patients in Kent, but your doctor should be in the Guiness Book of Records.
Yes, Guinness Book of Records !!!!
Sorry, but that made me laugh out loud it's so ridiculous. How did you get told? Utterly bizarre
We got a very nice email explaining to us how it will all work. Sounds feasible but…..🙃
We are still amazed , gobsmacked and laughing !
I'm just trying to imagine her listening to your chest or palpating your abdomen!
Quite a few obstacles to overcome with this new bright idea 😂😅🤣
That’s going to make it interesting if she needs to actually speak to you via zoom or whatever with the time difference.
I’m in UK, daughter’s in NZ -and very often one of us is our nightwear when we chat!
She might have to brush up on her bedside manner! 😂🤣
I hadn’t even considered the time difference yet. It was all too much to comprehend . 😂😅🤣
I wondered about the time difference too. I know quite a few Dr practices aren't taking on new patients. When we moved towns 3 years ago i went round 4 different practices before I found 1 taking on new patients. NZ Healthcare overall good compared to many places and it's free at least for publicly funded procedures. My practice offers zoom consultations but I'd have to be really desperate to do that.
Surely other Doctors will have to open their doors to us . I didn’t realise Dr shortage was starting to happen pre covid as well. Will be interesting to see how I will get my next prescription for pred which runs out end of next week . Can’t see my doc before she goes and she won’t be up and running half way round the world till the 15th.
Depends where you live in NZ, bigger cities eg Auckland may be different. My Dr has an online portal which is great so I can log in to that for repeat prescriptions and can also email a message to my Dr. (He aims to reply within 3 days). Any emergency situation round here the nearest A n E is an hour's drive. I was looking for a new practice in Jan 2020 so yes, hard to enrol pre covid too. Zooming a Dr is simply 1/10. There are things a face to face are needed for.
My daughter must be very lucky with her GP then, seems to get brilliant service - Maybe because they are in an agricultural area [and anyone who know farming, is aware it can be a dangerous occupation], and because they are near the ski slopes on the South Island are fully equipped for broken bones etc [no need to go to Christchurch for X-rays etc].
She's very lucky then, some provincial towns do have small hospitals which are a good thing. Farming communities need good healthcare for both animals (vets) and people. The next town we move to a hospital will be a requirement.
Definite requirement for us to. Medical care !
Well, patients are always asking for evening appointments!!!
True -but not necessarily at midnight -although that may suit those who can’t sleep!!!
So, which of you has to get to get up in the middle of the night to speak to each other? I know doctors often complain about the hours they work, but that's pushing it a bit, isn't it?
Well I’m guessing the GP is unlikely to change her working day -except in extreme circumstances 🤔
I didn't really expect the doctor to stay up all night. 
But it does feel like a strange old world that we live in nowadays. Maybe everyone gets to that stage once they get to a certain age.
Think many people over 35 think it a strange world -my grandson who was born in 2000 certainly seems to think it is! 😉
The generation gap has become a humongous chasm for me ! Imagine how bright I will be at midnight , with an old phone, which I still can’t understand most of the time 🤪
I'm thinking that too many people from government down think online is the answer. We live in an age when virtual reality has severely impacted the way we think and combined with AI has given people an alternative way of seeing and thinking. Sadly, some people are living in this artificial world and no longer interact socially or physically. This stupidity with your DR. is an extension of this belief that you can get adequate attention from Holland to NZ. Despite my issues and frustrations it makes me appreciate the local service with NHS and GP FtF which is still very accessible. I hope you can find an alternative local GP.
In my particular case I now realise , that if my Doctor was not willing to take this on for us, her patients would be without care. We will , of course , all be out putting our names on waiting lists at other practises .
Husband reminded me about a speaker he heard at Rotary , 20 plus years ago, talking about how online is the way of the future.
The fault doesn't lie with your doctor who is entitled to return to Holland. It is with the practice for not replacing them with another Dr, assuming there are qualified practitioners looking for employment. Good luck with your search. Online is an answer but not THE answer. It's like analogue and digital. We need both.
The most likely option for a replacement is very probably someone from the UK ...
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where is everybody?
