Doctor payments could address shortage

The Federal Government must urgently address a 400 per cent fall in the number of GPs working in regional NSW.

That is the demand from NSW Member for Murray Helen Dalton, who has requested a job keeper-type package to keep rural GP services open.

“According to the New South Wales Rural Doctors Network, the number of GPs working in rural New South Wales has declined from 800 to 200 in the last 10 years,” Mrs Dalton said.

“If we don't act now, we won't have any rural doctors left by 2030.

“I'm backing a call from the Rural and Remote Medical Services Ltd Charity for a $300 million Federal Government injection to keep rural GP services viable while we address the long-term solutions needed to attract GPs to rural areas.”

Mrs Dalton says the Federal Government's Medicare rebates have not kept pace with the cost of medical services, meaning many rural GP services are no longer viable.

“This, combined with the lack of overseas trained doctors coming to Australia due to COVID, has created a rural health crisis,” Mrs Dalton said.

“Small rural GP services are having to spend up to $3,000 a week on locums. They simply can't afford such huge costs.

“Already, my constituents in Griffith, Hay, Hillston, Leeton, Moama and Deniliquin are reporting that they may have to wait up to four weeks for an appointment with their GP.

“This will only get worse if we don't act now.”

Deniliquin has been in the midst of a doctor shortage for several years, which has only tightened since the closure of Dr Ian Dumbrell's clinic at the end of last year.

Even before his departure, Deniliquin doctor Marion Magee fronted a parliamentary inquiry and revealed that Deniliquin doctors were at breaking point.

She said doctors were working 120 hours a week, which was not only untenable for existing doctors but a deterrent for anyone being recruited to the region.

Dr Magee surmised that might be why there is a struggle in finding doctors, recounting for the inquiry a time when 28 locum services were contacted to provide help and there were no responses.

Access to local doctors has been so rare in recent years, some residents have had to travel to Echuca or further afield for basic medical treatment.

The Deniliquin Clinic in George St, where Dr Magee practices, has this year requested $3 million in funding to try and address the issue.

It wants to expand the clinic to accommodate more doctors and act as a regional doctor training facility.

Another measure announced since the inquiry was in Deniliquin is a Federal Government policy to waive up to $100,000 off the university debts for doctors and nurses who choose to work in regional areas after graduating.

But Mrs Dalton said the $300 million jobkeeper-type program proposal is an essential short-term measure.

“The $300 million would be used to fund support staff in small council-funded and family-run GP practices across regional New South Wales. Big corporations would not be eligible,” she said.

“The next step would be for the Federal Government to look at long-term solutions to the rural GP shortage.

“This could include having higher Medicare rebates in rural and remote areas, and fast-tracking accreditation processes for overseas-trained doctors.

“We must act now as rural health care is in a perilous state.”