New Liberal Government to boost funding for student doctors to fix rural GP debacle

COUNTRY hospitals will be handed cash for teaching in a Marshall Government bid to get more student doctors out into the regions.

• GP shortage crisis ravages regional SA
• Massive cost blowout envelops RAH

COUNTRY hospitals will be handed cash for teaching in a Marshall Government bid to get more student doctors out into the regions.

Under the $20 million plan, the number of medical interns in the country will be doubled in response to health advocate warnings that rural SA does not have a “pipeline” of doctors to fill shortages.

It comes as The Advertiser can reveal a massive disparity in country internship numbers between SA and the rest of country.

Only 2 per cent — or five of 250 — of intern positions in SA were country postings compared with one third of Queensland’s 740 places, which were in regional areas.

In NSW, 13 per cent of almost 1000 places were in the country, while the rate in Victoria was 22 per cent. Each of those states also have a number of rotational positions that include regional experience.

Quorn doctor Tony Lian-Lloyd told The Advertiser on Tuesday that the retirement of GPs would increase workloads for younger doctors.

Federal Rural Doctors Association of SA president Peter Rischbeth said training doctors in country hospitals ensured they had the appropriate skills and confidence to make it in a regional setting. “Unless we have that pathway (of internships) we will struggle to attract people to fill increasing shortages,” he said.

Dr Rischbeth said he was optimistic this commitment was the beginning of a new era in regional health. “We’re keen to work with them to get more doctors and specialists into regional SA,” he said.

Federal Rural Health Minister Bridget McKenzie said medical graduate were not being dispersed in the places where they were needed.

Federal Rural Health Minister Bridget McKenzie

State Health Minister Stephen Wade

“State governments are in charge of the internship provisions. Some states ... are doing a great job, other states such as South Australia aren’t providing those opportunities for graduates to get their training in the regions,” she told a Senate committee.

“Because of the way health is delivered in this country, it needs to be a strong partnership between state and Commonwealth. Our priority is to address the maldistribution.”

State Health Minister Stephen Wade said the Liberals would double the number of medical interns in the country.

“(It is) part of our plan to recruit, train and develop the health professionals to deliver the health services that country South Australians need,” he said.

Barker MP Tony Pasin welcomed the commitment after seeing first hand in Mt Gambier the impact interns had on both the local hospital and within the community.

“Evidence shows increasing intern numbers means medical students will be much more likely to go on to have a career in rural health delivery,” he said.