Doctor shortage continues

Regional WA has seen a 5.6 per cent increase in the number of GPs in 2010-11, but the local division of general practice has warned that Bunbury still did not have enough GPs to meet the region’s growing needs.

Picture by Andreas Rentz, Getty Images

Statistics released by Medicare this week revealed the number of full-time equivalent GPs in regional and remote WA grew 5.6 per cent compared to figures from 2009-10.

However, Greater Bunbury Division of General Practice chief executive officer June Foulds said while it was good to see an increase in GPs, the doctor to patient ratio in Bunbury was still too high.

‘‘We have about 80 GPs working in the Greater Bunbury area but that’s probably only about 60 full-time equivalent,’’ Ms Foulds said.

‘‘So even though our doctor numbers are going up, I think we’re still reasonably high on doctor to patient ratio.

‘‘What we’d all like to see is about one (doctor) to 1100 (patients) but I’d say we’re probably now at about one to 1500 or 1600.’’

But Ms Foulds said an issue the division had with the Federal Government’s analysis of doctor patient ratios was that they did not take into account the number of patients who came from outside the Greater Bunbury area to see a GP.

‘‘So we’ve got a moving population here,’’ she said.

‘‘For example you could get someone from Busselton coming to see a Bunbury GP or someone from Capel.’’

While the doctor to patient ratio was higher than the best practice ratio, it was not enough for the region to be regarded as an area of district workforce shortage.

‘‘A number of practices are trying to bring in overseas trained doctors and of course you have to have that DWS status before you bring them in,’’ Ms Foulds said.

Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon said the increase in the number of GPs in regional Australia was in response to investments in regional health.

‘‘This new data shows the Gillard Government’s national health reform agenda is delivering more doctors, more nurses and better health outcomes for regional Australians,’’ Ms Roxon said.

‘‘Our workforce training programs will deliver an extra 5500 GPs, 680 specialists and 5400 junior doctor training places in general practice nationwide by 2020.’’