Torrential rain and fresh flood warnings have hit battered Lismore hard, as the town fights to rebuild.
Lismore’s only dermatologist and the community that is struggling to rebuild after the devastating flood that hit earlier this year had a nervous wait this week.
Torrential rain prompted new flood warnings and some evacuations, but Dr Ken Gudmundsen said another major emergency did not eventuate.
His relief was short-lived however. Eight months after the floods destroyed the historic building he owned and practiced in, he is still far from recovery.
He told Dermatology Republic that the entire town’s medical infrastructure was still trying to rebuild. Some services are still operating out of makeshift annexes.
He has been forced to move his practice to higher ground to a private hospital, but the size of the practice means he can only see half the number of patients he would usually see. He is still trying to catch up from the three months he was forced to close after the flood.
“The GP practices and specialists who are affected have managed to scrape together smaller rooms and keep practising but it’s not the same standard and it’s not the same quantity, as it was before,” he said.
“I had a text from someone from one of the GP practices during the rain this week, who told me they are looking at probably losing $2 million because of what has happened,” Dr Ken Gudmundsen said.
“There’s ramifications to the whole healthcare system here. The hospital hates it because they see people later and they see sicker people. They have ED filled up with people who can’t get into GPs. And then you talk to the government about that, but nothing happens.
“There are going to be GPs who will have to walk away because it is the only option. And when a doctor leaves, often the whole practice, the whole infrastructure goes too. The nurses, the admin staff and the practice manager.”
Dr Gudmundsen said the AMA has continued to advocate for flood-affected Lismore doctors, but what he would like to see is a joint visit from the NSW and federal health ministers, Brad Hazzard and Mark Butler to the town, and a commitment to fund the recovery properly.
He estimates the cost of properly rebuilding his practice alone to be about $1 million.
Meanwhile, a fellow dermatologist, Dr Margaret Oziemski, has taken her own steps to help Dr Gudmundsen. She has set up a GoFund Me page to raise money for his rebuilding efforts.
“She has been a great support in my hard times and I would like to acknowledge her support,” he said.
The page has a fundraising goal of $50,000, and so far just over $13,000 has been raised.
“Like many rural communities, access to services like dermatology was already extremely limited prior to the floods and the impact on my patients has been significant,” Dr Gudmundsen wrote in a letter shared on the page.
“At the same time, three months with no income and half income for the foreseeable future, combined with the huge expenses to rebuild and reequip the clinic, I am financially broken.
“Foolishly, I thought that something constructive would have come from the government by now, but six months after the flood I am still left to manage by myself, as are other flood-affected doctors in Lismore. The situation for all of us is dire.
“I am grateful for the assistance received so far but I hope that you can appreciate that more substantial assistance is needed. Whilst I don’t want to be in this position, I urgently need a sizeable cash injection to enable me to fill a number of remaining equipment gaps, complete the fit out of the current rooms, deliver a financially sustainable service and begin to rebuild.”
