New push for Montville docs

By Kirra Livingstone

A PETITION has been tabled in federal parliament pushing for policy changes to help encourage a doctor into Montville with the hinterland town now five months without a local medical service.

More than 770 signatures were received by a petition started by Fisher MP Andrew Wallace following the closure of the last medical service in the town earlier this year.

Under the federal government’s Modified Monash Model, Montville is classified as a regional town, and therefore cannot attract the same subsidies for doctors as other towns.

Maleny, just 10km away is classified as ‘rural’ and is able to offer more incentives to potential GPs.

“Because of the way doctors are funded through the Modified Monash Model, there is a discrepancy between the income a doctor would earn in Montville which is less than what a doctor would earn in Maleny,” Mr Wallace said.

“Montville misses out by only hundreds of metres, a line on a map, from being able to have appropriate funding for a doctor to work in their town.”

Montville has a high number of older residents who now have to travel longer distances for basic medical treatment.

“It’s not just the people of Montville that need a doctor… it’s the businesses like the