A Department of Health’s training program has reported increasing numbers of doctors training to become GPs in regional, rural and remote areas.
Minister for Health, Greg Hunt said 1,434 doctors had been accepted into the Department’s Australian General Practice Training (AGPT) Program, the largest number of acceptances in several years and more than 100 additional doctors over last year’s intake.
Mr Hunt said the AGPT Program was a central element to bridging any city-country divide in health services.
Minister for Regional Health, Mark Coulton said almost 700 of the AGPT doctors would undertake their training in regional, rural and remote locations across the country.
“The evidence does tell us that if you train in the regions you are likely to stay in the regions and that’s why we are focused on supporting the rural training pipeline,” Mr Coulton said.
“Rural and remote communities want safe and high-quality primary healthcare services delivered by well- trained GPs with training in an extended rural skill set,” he said.
“Through work which is underway on long-term workforce and training reforms we want to look at opportunities to provide greater supervision and support for doctors and practical ways to build a sustainable and highly trained medical workforce.”
Mr Coulton said the AGPT Program had particular benefits for communities which may struggle to attract GPs.
