Læknablaðið - 01.08.1966, Síða 79

LÆKNABLAÐIÐ
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internal techniques to his patients. The partnership practices in these
areas mostly have modern equipment and good personnel and they are
fully trusted by their patients for whom they are able to practice
medicine as a whole at all times and for all ailments of body, soul and
environment.
The Canadian G. P. in the big cities suffers from a struggle with
the specialists and the modern standards of technical medicine. As a
single handed practitioner he is sometimes in a bad position. If he joins
a group Practice together with specialists it depends on himself and
his G. P. and specialist colleagues inside the group what his life is like.
Generally he might do quite well.
The income of the Canadian G. P. is high and often closed to that
of the specialists, lecturers and professors, but the work load of the
Canadian G. P. is also high.
U.S.A.: About the same problems for the G. P. as in Canada. In big
cities there is a shortage of G. P.s and in some rural areas there is
a complete absence of G. P.s. Whilst in the early 50’s of this century,
some magazines suggested the replacement of the G. P.s by armies of
specialists, the same journals now cry ,,G. P. come back“ because in
the meantime the publishers and the public have realised that an army
of specialists in most cases cannot replace the G. P.s completely.
Central America: There are very big differences between the
Specialists, who are in the cities and the G. P.s in the open country.
The difference is like the rich and the poor man in the stories.
South America: The G. P. in South America in rural countries is
also a king as he is in Canada. In the cities he is being more and more
replaced by specialists.
Europe: In Southern Europe we have nearly the same situation as
in South America. In Northern Europe we must differentiate as follows:
In England we have many quarrels from the side of the G. P.s who are
not happy with their position as secondary doctors. Similiar situations
are also pi’esent in many North European countries.
Asia: We find a most interesting situation here. In many countries
there is a great shortage of all kinds of doctors. If a specialist or a G. P.
settles down somewhere he is soon overcrowded by General Practice.
The Public does not make any difference between the specialist and the
G. P. except in the big cities where the situation might be similiar to
Europe or America. In these Asiatic countries, there is such an urgent
need for medical help that any help from the part of the G. P.s or the
specialists is always needed. If a sub-specialist is going to settle down
in a small city, he is urged to practice general medicine. He can only
exceptionally practice his own specialty.