Rural Doctors Welcome Extra GP Training Places, Australia
The Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) has welcomed an announcement by the Federal Government that it will fund 75 additional GP training places for 2009 and 100 additional places in 2010.
The Association has also welcomed the Government’s announcement that it will invest an extra $18.4 million in the Remote Vocational Training Scheme (RVTS) for medical practitioners in remote and isolated communities throughout Australia. The new funding will increase the number of places available through the RVTS from 15 to 22 from 2011.
Last week RDAA again urged the Government to fund more general practice training places through the Australian General Practice Training program for 2009, given the number of doctors who had applied for a GP training place in 2009 exceeded the number of places available.
Without further places, this would have left some doctors who wanted to follow a career as a GP unable to access the training program that would allow them to do this.
“The Government’s decision to fund these additional training places is very welcome” RDAA President, Dr Nola Maxfield, said.
"Given the growing interest from junior doctors in becoming GPs-and given the huge shortage of GPs right across Australia-we must be doing all we can to get interested doctors into the GP training pathway.
"In rural and remote Australia alone, at least 1800 additional doctors are urgently needed to ensure even basic access to healthcare.
"To have had junior doctors banging at the door to get into GP training only to be told the room was full would have been a ludicrous situation, so it is great to see the Federal Government moving quickly on this issue.
"RDAA believes around 100 additional places should be added annually to the Australian General Practice Training program over the next decade, to take the total annual intake of the program from its current level of around 600 doctors to, ultimately, 1500 doctors per year.
"We also strongly believe that junior doctors undertaking GP training should be encouraged to take up training opportunities in rural and remote Australia where the need for doctors is great, the quality of teaching is very high, and the scope of training is wide and rewarding.
“At the end of the day, all junior doctors who want to become GPs should be met with open arms and a guaranteed GP training place-the current shortage of GPs across rural and remote Australia demands it.”
Rural Doctors Association of Australia