DR David Hogg was attracted to being a GP on Arran because of the sheer variety of practice.
His work spans a spectrum from general practice to A&E and community hospital. He says it makes for a challenging but stimulating and rewarding career.
Arran is larger geographically than Greater Glasgow, and has a population of 5,000, although this increases to 25,000 during holiday periods.
Finding GPs who want to commit to this life is difficult, he says. The work has different demands to that of a city practice, requiring greater flexibility and with risk of professional isolation. Dr Hogg explains that the days are always full, and it is not uncommon to work 24 hours when on-call gets busy. However, he says, it is a privilege to work among stunning scenery and a vibrant community.
Several surgeries were recently merged to form Arran Medical Group and during the process they noticed the problems with technology connectivity.
"The copper cable just is not fast enough to keep up with the demands of modern medical practice," said Dr Hogg. "We've been working closely with our health board to overcome some of these challenges, but we need investment in our broadband and mobile connectivity."
Dr David Hogg is a GP on the Isle of Arran
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