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Victorian doctor recruitment falls further behind
30 September 2008
Victorians face longer elective surgery waits as the state’s overseas recruitment efforts fail and international doctors choose Queensland as their preferred Australian state.
New figures show Queensland has recruited twice as many doctors as Victoria in recent years.
AMA Victoria President Dr Doug Travis said the disparity showed Queensland was serious about recruiting and retaining medical staff in their public hospitals, while the Victorian Government continued to sit on its hands.
“We have a population boom in Victoria, as does Queensland,” Dr Travis said, “but it’s a disgrace that Queensland has been able to attract twice as many doctors even though their population is a lot smaller.
“Minister Andrews keeps repeating the mantra that there were 1880 extra doctors in Victorian public hospitals than in 1999,” Dr Travis said. “This increase is welcome, but is nowhere near enough.”
Over the last three years that figures are available, Queensland public hospitals have increased medical staff by 35 per cent (an extra 1600), compared with less than 15 per cent (an extra 781) for Victorian public hospitals.
Dr Travis said the Queensland Government had made medical recruitment and retention a priority over the last three years. “Victorian doctors are seeing job offers every week from Queensland,” he said. “These positions are offering terms and conditions well in excess of what’s on offer in Victoria.”
Meanwhile, the Victorian Government is continuing to sit on its hands and failing to respond to the Ministerial Review of Public Hospital Medical Staff. The review has been with the Minister since November 2007, and was released publicly six months ago.
The Review stated Victoria’s public hospitals are “under significant stress with low morale”. The review also notes the following problems in Victoria’s public hospitals:
- Low pay, poor conditions. Victorian doctors are among the worst paid in the country. The review points out the need to “demonstrably value the work, commitment and opinions of clinical staff.”
- Not enough doctors. Victoria is entering a four year period where the shortfall of doctors will be greater than any other time in the State’s history.
- Doctors quitting. The review identifies the threat of doctors withdrawing from the public sector and moving to 100 per cent private practice as the “Reasons that attracted clinicians to public hospitals in the past are rapidly disappearing.”
- Stress. The review notes that stress, disillusionment and other factors contribute to errors, and that, “All these situations apply much of the time for clinicians at many hospitals in Victoria.”
- Not enough beds. The review notes “a significant reduction in bed numbers and extremely high occupancy rates (sometimes in excess of 100%) … this causes considerable stress.” The panel “heard sufficient evidence to form an opinion that the public system is currently out of balance”.
“Despite the Minister’s own review calling for urgent action, the Government has done nothing,” Dr Travis said. “In a further insult to doctors, the public hospital medical staff Enterprise Bargaining Agreement expired three months ago, and there is still no sign of a deal on offer from the Government.
“The Minister has been sitting on his hands, calling for reviews then ignoring them, letting his EBA with doctors expire and all the time watching the Victorian hospital system lurch from crisis to crisis,” Dr Travis said. “Doctors are getting angry.”
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