ACRRM welcomes the release of the latest Medical Deans Australia and New Zealand (MDANZ) report on Doctors our Communities Need, noting that more focus is needed on addressing remote, rural, regional and First Nations Peoples’ communities’ healthcare needs.
ACRRM President Dr Dan Halliday says the Doctors our Communities Need: Building, Sustaining and Supporting the General Practice Workforce in Australia and New Zealand report’s recommendations provide the opportunity to develop a framework to move forward.
“It is reassuring to see the report acknowledges further work will be undertaken to address key areas of medical workforce need in rural, remote and First Nation’s communities.
“Latest figures from the annual data collection of final year Australian medical students show a continuing growth in interest in Rural Generalist Medicine and an increase in interest in the general practice career options combined relative to all other specialties.
“According to the MDANZ Medical Schools Outcomes Database National Data Report 2023, of domestic Australian medical students, 20.9% of graduating students indicated an interest in future practice outside of a capital city or major urban centre reflecting a small but upward four-year trend.
“While this is positive, we know that more work is needed to secure a workforce to serve communities in need.
“ACRRM would however, like to tease out the recommendations aimed at attracting GPs in cities to ensure they would not be coming at the expense of any incentives to bring Rural Generalists and Rural GPs to rural and remote areas, such as the recommendation to extend the John Flynn Prevocational Doctor Program to cities.
“It should be noted that whatever issues may exist in cities, these are far more acutely felt by people in rural and remote areas. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare figures have shown nine per cent lower per capita use of GP services in outer regional areas, and 36 per cent lower use of GP services in remote and very remote areas over 2019 to 2021.
“The report’s call to work toward parity in early career salary and entitlements, as well as opportunities to train rurally during medical school and prevocational training, are points we strongly agree with, and which will make a big difference to considering Rural Generalist and Rural General Practice as a career choice.
“Acknowledgement that the single-employer models being trialled in the Murrumbidgee and in Tasmania should continue and expand, is also encouraging.
“We look forward to the MDANZ’s further work to address rural, remote and First Nations Peoples communities,” Dr Halliday says.
ENDS