Rural Queensland is being hit hard by the shortage of doctors, as those in need are being forced to travel hundreds of kilometres to receive the attention they require.

Rural Doctors Association of Australia president Dr Nola Maxfield said the Government must do more to entice additional doctors to rural Australia.

"Some rural patients already have to wait six weeks for a basic consultation with a local doctor or travel hundreds of kilometres to see a doctor in a distant town," Dr Maxfield said.

Women also have to travel hundreds of miles to have babies.

Flinders Shire Mayor Brendan McNamara has his finger on the pulse when it comes to health care in his area.

"The maternity ward shut down here quite a while ago," Mr McNamara said.

"Women are encouraged to go to Townsville. Doctors are probably wary of delivering babies."

Mr McNamara also identified a lack of specialist services in rural areas.

"A friend of ours had an accident and had to make 14 trips to Townsville for physiotherapy," he said.

It is not just specialist services that are lacking. In Charters Towers there is up to a five-day wait to see a general practitioner, despite figures that state the number of doctors in Australia is on the rise.

Although the number of doctors is on the rise Australia-wide, these rates are much slower in inner and outer regional areas.

There was a 7.7 percent increase in doctor numbers in major cities between 2003 and 2007.

However, growth in regional areas ranged between 1.7 percent for inner regional areas and 1.5 percent for outer regional areas.

It was also identified that many general practitioners provide in-patient and procedural services at their local hospital.