Skip to primary content

Member Services

  • Text Decrease
  • Text Increase
  • Print Page

Rural Victoria needs GPs (Weekly Times, opinion editorial)

27 September 2010.

RURAL Victoria is in danger of losing GPs writes HARRY HEMLEY

Country doctors are the lifeblood of many rural communities.

Especially the highly skilled proceduralist GPs who do everything from delivering babies, plastering broken arms, performing major surgical procedures, giving anaesthetics at the local hospital and visiting frail elderly patients in their home.

But Victoria is at risk of losing these proceduralist GPs to retirement, burnout and lower-pressure metropolitan posts.

Earlier this year an AMA Victoria survey found 37 per cent of GPs who provide services to rural hospitals would not be practising medicine in rural Victoria beyond five years.

Country Victoria is losing doctors and failing to attract replacements. Ten weeks out from the Victorian election, now is the time for the Labor Government and the Liberal/National Coalition to show Victoria they have a plan for rural health.

That plan must include an expansion of services to cater for our growing population and it must address country doctor shortages.

Last week AMA Victoria urged the next Victorian Government to commit to a rural medical workforce rescue package to improve attraction and retention of country doctors and ensure country Victorians' access to medical care in the future.

AMA Victoria's Rural Rescue Package 2010-2014 calls on the major parties to commit to:

  • Payments for general practitioners for out of hours telephone consultations with hospitals to improve access to information and care.
  • Rural relocation allowances for general practitioners and specialists, including recognising long service leave entitlements from other states, to aid recruitment.
  • Retention allowances for hospital doctors who have spent at least seven years in regional Victoria to recognise service and improve access to care.
  • More doctors to help provide a reasonable on-call ratio and ensure comprehensive after-hours care.


Rural communities deserve access to a doctor when they are sick, injured or go into labour.

A rural rescue package is just one way to address workforce shortage issues and ensure after-hours country hospital care isn't just a thing of the past.

Dr Harry Hemley is president of the Australian Medical Association Victoria

In this section

Victorian Medical Directory

Title

Register

Quick Reference Links

Networks

Preferred Providers