THE understated difficulty in seeing a doctor in the bush underscored the Government's latest big health announcement to significantly boost training places for general practitioners.
The Government this week committed $632 million to help train more GPs and ease the critical shortage of doctors in Australia, most acute in rural areas.
More specifically, the announcement will see GP training places increased to 1200 places by 2014 (from the current level of around 675 places).
The Expanded Specialist Training Program will be increased to 900 places by 2014, up from 360 places and the Prevocational General Practice Placements Program will be doubled to 975 places by 2013.
The deal comes on top of last month's big multi-billion dollar election promise that the Government would take over two-thirds of Australia's health system, although winning over State premiers is still needed before that plan takes hold.
But Rural Doctors are not so sure this latest funding blitz will necessarily achieve the goal of getting more doctors practicing in rural and remote areas.
They're still calling for a boost in regional incentive payments to help lure young doctors to the country and make country health an attractive option financially compared to a big city job.
Rural Doctors Association of Australia president, Dr Nola Maxfield, says there is an urgent need to be able to show young doctors that rural practice is actually price competitive with other parts of the medical profession.
While welcoming this week's training dollars, rural doctors say it is now time the Government introduce a much-needed "rural rescue package" to entice more young doctors to rural and remote practice.
The RDAA says approximately 25 per cent of doctors working in rural Australia are aged 55 years and over and nearing retirement and very few young doctors are being enticed to replace them.
"It is critical that many of the additional training places announced this week be allocated in rural and remote areas, given the desperate shortage of both GPs and specialists in the bush," Dr Maxfield said.
"There remains an urgent need, however, for the Government to fix the other half of the problem that is dogging the recruitment of more doctors to rural and remote Australia.
"Focusing on meeting the education and training needs of young doctors is very much required, but the Government now also needs to focus its attention on a wider range of measures to recruit and retain more doctors in rural and remote Australia."
Chair of the National Rural Health Alliance, Dr Jenny May, said this week's announcement provides "a basis for optimism" that national workforce shortages can be overcome.
"However, to ensure that one third or more of practitioners choose to work in rural, regional and remote areas, there needs to be a strong and ongoing commitment to health infrastructure, undergraduate rural placements and locum and continuing professional development support in those areas – as well as sustainable practices that provide the career structures and other financial incentives for doctors in rural areas."
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