A POSTCODE problem means the city could be left without a 24-hour emergency ophthalmologist service.
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Tamworth Regional Council councillor Juanita Wilson will argue the way specialist doctors are distributed by postcode disadvantages rural and regional areas at the Local Government NSW conference in November.
"The ratio between specialists and population within a postcode area is the system used to determine disadvantage, rather than the actual area the specialist serves in," she said.
"In metropolitan areas a suburb with no ophthalmologist would be deemed 'disadvantaged' despite having a specialist in the next suburb.
"My concern is that Tamworth, despite not being an 'area of disadvantage' means the current Medicare 19AB system will not allow certain categories of specialists to move to Tamworth because despite only having two full-time opthalmologists to service such an extensive area, we are deemed 'not disadvantaged'."
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The ophthalmologists in Tamworth serve patients from Singleton to the Queensland border, including outpatient work in towns like Narrabri for patients who need weekly injections to keep their eyesight.
The Tamworth Regional Council motion asks the state and federal government health ministers to review the National Medical Workforce Strategy.