Australian Doctor 10th May issue 2024 | Page 6

6 NEWS

6 NEWS

10 MAY 2024 ausdoc . com . au

Missing GP ’ s son appeals for help

Carmel Sparke A GP ’ s son has appealed to
organised group . But the 71-year-old has not
from general practice . Her son , Ramon Casal , has
“ We haven ’ t been able to find any doctors who treated
believe that his mother had ever set out for the Bibbulmun
doctors for help in solving
been seen for four-and-a-half
appealed to any doctors who
her or who could fill us in on
Track walk , and that there had
the mystery of his mother ’ s
months .
may have treated her to come
the status of that and what
been no bank account activ-
disappearance after the fam-
Her family reported her
forward and shed some light
that would say about her
ity suggesting she had made
ily discovered she was diag-
missing in March when she
on the diagnosis .
chances of survival .”
purchases along the trail or
nosed with a serious illness
failed to make contact as
“ We ’ ve only discovered
He said his mother ’ s Medi-
“ any evidence after a month of
before she vanished .
planned .
recently , only during the
care records were inaccessi-
investigation that there were
Dr Nathalie Casal was
It was not until police
police investigation , that my
ble to the family .
any other hikers at all ”.
last seen alive at her outer
started investigating that the
mother was diagnosed with
Police said , in the absence
It was “ very worrisome ”
Perth home on 6 December ,
family learnt their mother
a serious health condition in
of evidence of a crime , they
that she had quietly sold many
Dr Nathalie Casal .
where she said she planned to hike the 1000km Bibbulmun Track in WA with an had been diagnosed with a serious illness , around the time she suddenly retired
2022 ,” Mr Casal told the ABC . “ That was the time when she abruptly retired as a GP . could not escalate the investigation , he added .
Mr Casal said he did not of her possessions , including her fairly new car and an expensive photographic lens .
Dr Casal had deactivated her Facebook account and closed her phone account , giving her sister the deactivated device on 6 December .
“ She went off the grid that

I love him beyond all reason , and care for him above all else .
day ,” Mr Casal said .
His aunt had offered to give his mother a lift to the start of the Bibbulmun Track in Mundaring and lend her trekking equipment , but she had “ brushed off ” the offer .
At one point , police
reported a possible sighting ,
but Mr Casal said it appeared
to be a case of mistaken

BECAUSE THEY ’ RE TOO IMPORTANT
identity .
He added that his mother ’ s attention to the plight of threatened black cockatoos could hold clues to an area to search .
“ She was a very dedicated
conservationist — particularly
with the black cockatoo population
of the Gnangara pine
plantation , which she was caring
for ,” he said .
“ She was determined to
save that population , and she
did go to extreme lengths for
that .”
Since retiring as a GP , she
devoted herself to feeding the
cockatoos , buying as much
as $ 1000 worth of wholesale
almonds in a week , he said .

Telehealth scripts

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EPIPEN ® and EPIPEN ® JR are Viatris Company trademarks . Copyright © 2022 Viatris Inc . All rights reserved . Alphapharm Pty Ltd , trading as Viatris . Level 1 , 30-34 Hickson Road , Millers Point NSW 2000 . ABN 93 002 359 739 . Tel 1800 274 276 . Date of preparation : Sept 2022 . EPI-2022-0310 . MYL0695 .
Staff writer A FIFTH of patients say they are using online telehealth services to obtain prescriptions as a cheaper alternative to seeing their doctor .
The finding comes from the latest Patient Experience Insights Report produced by CommBank .
Based on a survey of 1130 patients last October , the figure rose from 20 % overall to 37 % among the generation Z respondents — defined as those aged 16-24 .
The report also found , as a result of the current cost-of-living pressures , 28 % of patients had postponed “ routine medical appointments ”. CommBank : Patient Experience Insights Report ; 2024 .