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Doctor shortage will persist without more specialist training places
29 September 2010.
Despite a large increase of medical students, the state’s doctor shortage will not let up unless the next Victorian Government commits to more medical specialist training places, AMA Victoria President Dr Harry Hemley said today.
"Access to medical care is currently an issue for many Victorians, and not just in rural and regional communities," he said. "We’re in midst of the worst doctor shortage the state has ever seen. Not even an increase in overseas trained doctors has been sufficient to fill the shortfalls.
"Fortunately, there is potential for the doctor shortage to ease in the next five years. By 2014 the number of medical graduates will have doubled, compared with 2007, but medical school is just the first part of a junior doctor’s training.
"The next Victorian government must commit to increasing the number of specialist training places so doctors can finish their training and become much-needed general practitioners, physicians, surgeons, psychiatrists, pathologists, radiologists and other specialists.
"If the major parties are serious about improving medical access to our growing population, they must guarantee a specialist training place for all Victorian medical graduates."
Victoria is ahead of other states in securing medical graduates’ intern places – 12 months of hospital rotations – which is a requirement for doctors to gain full medical registration. The Victorian Government has also assured graduate doctors a second year of hospital training, but the commitment stops at specialist training positions, which are in short supply.
"Victoria should take the lead in medical specialist training and implement a plan to increase the number of specialist doctors," Dr Hemley said. "The increase in medical graduates will put pressure on the sparse training resources in our public hospitals. We need to increase our capacity to train more doctors now, so come 2014, we will be equipped to train a much larger volume of doctors.
Dr Hemley said medical specialist training was just one element of a health plan needed to prepare the state for its projected population growth of by 3.25 million people over the next 40 years.
"There are options to increase the number of specialist training places now," he said. "Allowing more doctors to undertake surgical, physician and other specialist training in private hospitals and community settings is one potential solution.
"The community deserves well-trained doctors. We also need to encourage experienced senior doctors to become teachers and trainers to ensure our junior doctors are well trained."
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