Labor GP priority vow

LEOPOLD, Curlewis, Clifton Springs and Drysdale would become a priority area for the distribution of general practitioners under a Labor promise if it won power at the federal election.

As population growth puts pressure on the 225 GPs working in the City of Greater Geelong, Labor said it wanted to stop what it saw as a “crisis” in healthcare.

The federal government moved last month to increase the number of GPs working in Wallington, Ocean Grove and Torquay by declaring it a priority recruitment area.

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners deputy chair Bernard Shiu said there were not enough GPs in Torquay and on the Bellarine Peninsula, but across Greater Geelong GP numbers were “probably” adequate.

“We’ve never understood how the equation is done,” Dr Shiu, clinical director of Banksia Medical Centre, at Newcomb, said of how priority GP recruitment areas were decided.

He said more medical students needed to be encouraged to work in general practice.

“Nationwide, 80 per cent of the work in medicine is done by GPs, but only 20 per cent of students are going into general practice.” he said.

Dr Shiu said 225-250 GPs worked in the Greater Geelong council area, depending on seasonal requirements.

“At this moment in time, we probably have enough (GPs across Geelong), but you can see those houses are being built and the population is growing,” he said.

“But I’m not sure if we have enough at the moment if we’re looking at population projections.”

Federal Regional Health Minister David Gillespie said: “Both Geelong and TorquayOcean Grove GP catchments have distribution priority area status, meaning local medical practices will have access to a larger pool of doctors to recruit from.”

Under a $1bn spend nationally, the Coalition announced this week some GP catchments, including TorquayOcean Grove, would remain priority areas until July 2023.

Corangamite MP Libby Coker said Labor would make the entire Geelong and Surf Coast region a Health Department distribution priority area to boost GP numbers and give the region access to more GPs trained overseas.

“I am extremely concerned about the situation,” Ms Coker said.

“We’ve known for a long time that there are real issues in GP recruitment, but the situation locally is now dire.

“After ringing around a number of local GP and medical services, it’s crystal clear we are now at a crisis point.

“I am being told it’s the No.1 issue for local GPs and there are clearly not enough GPs to serve the local community.”