The Five Ways Medical Centre has closed. One medical researcher told The Examiner that of the 138 GPs in the 63 telephone area, 40 were at retirement age.

And, while many doctors work beyond the age of 60, most of those older doctors practise in inner Launceston.

The alarming shortage of general practitioners meant radical changes to how doctors did their business, the researcher said.

"The general practice train crash is here and now," an expert said, while not wanting to be named.

"Next month you will have 3000 mostly elderly people going without services.

"We need to make some controversial decisions because the trends are alarming.

"South Launceston (Five Ways) might have come like a bolt out of the blue but it won't be the last."

Practices at Kings Meadows, Prospect and inner Launceston are most at risk because that's where most of the older doctors are working.

Radical solutions could see doctors not having to write medical certificates, which take up to 5 per cent of a day.

During the swine flu pandemic, the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry suggested employers accept certificates from pharmacists or even statutory declarations from employees.

In the ACT, nurse-operated clinics and walk-in clinics have worked while other rapid-access clinics are effective in Victoria.

Tasmania, with a high proportion of elderly citizens, had been slow to change its model of general practice, the researcher said.

Corporate medical practice providers such as the Independent Practitioner Network have been looking at Launceston.

The IPN has 900 GPs working in 120 medical centres in Australia, including Bicheno, St Helens, Coles Bay, Strahan, Flinders Island, Swansea, King Island, Zeehan and Queenstown.