Shortage of Doctors Critical
The Pakenham Cardinia Leader newspaper reported that the Shire of Cardinia has the worst GP-patient ratio in Victoria- 1700 patients to one GP. With Pakenham’s population expected to double by 2020, the currently desperate situation is expected to get worse.
The GP Association of Geelong chief executive, Jason Trethowan, reports that there is one GP to 1400 patients in the Geelong area.
The ABC News on line has reported that the shortage in Western Australia has now reached crisis point. Mr. Rob Whitehead, President of the Rural Doctors Association of Western Australia says at least 100 more regional doctors are needed. He said that the situation is getting worse. To illustrate, there are only two obstetricians based outside the area from Perth to Bunbury.
Q & A
| Q: |
Why is there a shortage of doctors in Australia? |
| A: |
About 10 years ago, the government noted that there were too many doctors in Australia. Hence, student numbers were cut, and foreign trained doctors were not encouraged to migrate to Australia. |
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| Q: |
Has the medical student numbers increased? |
| A: |
Yes, the Age Editorial of 16 August 2005 reported that the number of medical graduates increased between 1996 to 2002 by 12 per cent, almost twice the rate of Australia’s population growth. |
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| Q: |
Why is there a shortage of doctors even if the medical student graduates increased? |
| A: |
There are a number of factors that contribute to the shortage of doctors. The Age Editorial of 16 August 2005 reports that the new generation of doctors are not willing to work 50 hours or more, as the previous generation of doctors had done; that half the entrants to the medical workforce are women, who prefer to work part-time than men. There are also a lot of doctors who are retiring.
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| Q: |
Are doctors from overseas allowed to migrate to Australia? |
| A: |
Yes, doctors from overseas are now allowed to migrate to Australia. However, there are problems associated with the recruitment of doctors from overseas. There is a lack of uniform standards for the practice of overseas doctors with the practice medicine in Australia. The other problem is that Australia is now competing with the other countries in trying to attract good doctors. |
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| Q: |
Why is the doctor shortage worse in the regional and rural areas? |
| A: |
There is a greater demand in the regional areas because the population in the regional areas is growing. The demand for doctors is also growing because the population is ageing. |
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| Q: |
What is the government doing about the shortage of GP’s in regional and rural areas? |
| A: |
The associations of doctors are urging the government to increase incentives for rural medical staff, regional hospital upgrades and more funding for training of regional medical students. |
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Migration regulations are current at the time of writing this article. DIAC has the right to change these regulations at any time. This article has been written to provide general information only. Readers should seek professional advice to discuss their particular situations.
Estelle McNally, is a Registered Migration Agent MARN 9903113,
McNally Migration Solutions, Suite 1, 2nd Floor,
3 Avondale Street, Springvale 3171
(03) 9547 9055, 0418 171 951, (03) 5997-7450; Fax: (03) 9547 9066;
website: www.mcnallymigrationaustralia.com; Email: mcnallymigration@bigpond.com |
