Gippslanders among most likely to see GP

Despite a drop off from the previous year, national figures for last financial year reveal Gippsland ranks third nationally for most attendances at General Practices for Medicare subsidised appointments.

Based on Medicare data from the 31 Primary Health Networks across Australia, Gippsland rated third with 89 per cent of people attending a GP in 2022-2023 compared to the national average of 86 per cent. However, the Gippsland figure dropped significantly from 93 per cent in the previous 12 months with much of the fall attributed to the rise in the cost of living.

The report said other barriers to attendance included a lack of access to a general practice, long waiting times, reduction in the number of GPs offering bulk billing and a lack of after hours access or home visits by a GP.

Gippsland Primary Health Network chief executive officer Amanda

Proposch said the low proportion of people in the region (7.2 per cent) who had a Medicare subsidised after hours treatment by a GP (national average 16.4 per cent) impacted on the workload of hospital emergency departments.

She said after hours visits for people that needed urgent, but not emergency, treatment had been alleviated in Gippsland by the establishment of Priority Primary Care Centres at Warragul and Moe which had seen almost 27,000 patients since they opened.

Ms Proposch said Gippsland, at 43 per cent was fourth highest among the 31 PHNs for Medicare-subsidised diagnostic imaging services (national 39 per cent) and fifth highest for specialist services at 36 per cent (national 31.6 per cent).

Gippsland has an ageing population with complex and ongoing health care issues but the distribution of GPs and other health professionals does not match community needs.