The Australian Medical Association is calling for a greater focus on creating training places in regional areas to clear a bottleneck of medical graduates who are sometimes waiting years to enter specialist training due to limited opportunities
According to AMA Vice President Danielle McMullen, it is crucial to expand opportunities for doctors to live, work and train in regional areas, she goes on to explain the new federal government decision would not fully deliver on this problem.
As medical graduates and professionals workforce shortages continue making changes is vital, the World Health Organization has estimated a shortfall of 10 million healthcare workers by 2030.
“Australia is producing medical graduates at rates well above the OECD average, and yet rural areas are still plagued with crippling medical workforce shortages,” Dr McMullen said.
“Rural medicine is an incredibly rewarding career because you can truly care for your whole community and treat a wide range of conditions, but this requires specific training and support,” she said.
“We need an independent health workforce planning body that provides quality evidence and data to inform new policies that would help address regional doctor shortages,” Dr McMullen said.