Across the country families are struggling to find solutions as waiting lists for paediatricians reach new highs. One regional WA family considers themselves lucky to even have one, even if he is two-thousand five-hundred kilometres away in Melbourne. It's a symptom of a problem one expert warns could take more than a decade to solve.
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00:00Like many 12-year-olds, Henry Witham enjoys playing sport.
00:05But that's only possible after a long recovery.
00:08In October 2021, he had a fall here on the farm,
00:13which led to quite a severe concussion and a traumatic brain injury.
00:17His family had to find specialists to help him walk and talk again,
00:21a tough task when you live 300km south-east of Perth.
00:25Yeah, Henry's doing really well.
00:27After struggling to find a paediatrician,
00:29the Withams secured teleconference consultations
00:32with a Melbourne-based specialist.
00:34If we hadn't have found him or a paediatrician,
00:38I'd just hate to think where we would still be.
00:41The number of children waiting for a public paediatrician in WA
00:45has increased from almost 6,000 to just under 10,000 in two years.
00:50That's pushed waiting lists to well over a year for paediatricians
00:54with many refusing new patients.
00:56They're very family-orientated and they want the best for children,
01:00so they don't want long waiting lists and they're doing their very best.
01:04How are you feeling today?
01:06The state government earmarked $39 million in the budget
01:09for an expansion of child development services.
01:12That's a catch-up after the last significant injection of funding,
01:17which was $50 million in 2010,
01:20which was $50 million in 2010,
01:22and even at that stage didn't address the problem.
01:25A recent parliamentary report has recommended
01:28giving GPs and nurse practitioners a greater role.
01:31In the meantime, parents are turning to telehealth for support,
01:34but the AMA warns desperate families to be aware
01:37that some health professionals are charging exorbitant rates
01:40for poor quality service.
01:42It's an issue which hits regional patients harder.