Tuggeranong Valley residents fear their health care will suffer from ''profits over patients'' after it was revealed yesterday that Wanniassa Medical Centre would leave the area after 20 years in the community.
But the centre's owners, health corporation Primary Healthcare, say the move will give patients access to longer opening hours and a wider range of services, such as radiology and dental care.
Wanniassa Medical Centre is the second-largest practice in the ACT, employing seven full-time doctors. It will move to a larger medical centre, also owned by Primary Healthcare, in Phillip.
Staff and patients learned of the move on Wednesday and will be shifted to Phillip within the next two weeks.
The move comes just days after Attorney-General Simon Corbell launched an expanded GP surgery at Ainslie, praising the Government's work in primary health care.
ACT Health Minister Katy Gallagher says her hands are tied and she cannot control the movement of general practitioners.
But she would try to fast-track a planned free walk-in health centre if the Wanniassa closure led to a shortage of care. Primary Healthcare's general manager of medical centres, Henry Bateman, said moving the practice to Phillip allowed patients to receive care from 7am to 10pm every day of the week.
There were also concerns for the financial viability of the Wanniassa centre. The exodus of GPs has left southern Canberra residents worried about increasing pressure on health services, which could lead to overflows at hospital emergency departments.
Tuggeranong Community Council president Rosemary Lissimore said the valley could not afford to lose more doctors.
''We've had eight doctors leave us in Calwell and we've had one doctor in Richardson who closed down at Christmas,'' she said.
''We're still having houses built out here, there are still people moving into the area. When this sort of thing happens we end up with a lot of people going to the hospital emergency services.''
Kambah patient Sally McDonald said the closure was disgraceful. ''It's obvious that they're more interested in the profits than their patients.''
Mrs McDonald and her husband have been seeing their GP for more than 15 years and she said the move from Wanniassa would have a big impact.
''At [Phillip] it would be very awkward because I don't drive because of my chronic injury, so I'd have to get buses. Whereas here it takes me a few minutes to walk and it's very convenient,'' she said.
Mr Bateman said the new location was no more than 10 minutes' drive away and the company would provide a courtesy car to pick up patients.
''The doctors who are there will still conduct home visits, will still conduct nursing home visits,'' he said.
''Their records will still be available at the Phillip centre and they'll still be able to see their own GPs. There'll be continuity of care.''
Calwell mother Carolyn Burton said she feared the move to a big, busy walk-in centre would reduce the quality of her family's health care.
''I feel it will be a little less personal because I don't know if I'm guaranteed to see my doctor or one of the others. I like it the way it is where I can see the doctor who knows my family,'' she said.
Conder resident Max Hogan, 68, said he was concerned elderly patients would suffer the most from the relocation.