Good news for general practice
The AMA welcomes Health Minister Tanya Plibersek’s announcement that all 1000 general practice training places for this year have been fully subscribed.
AMA President, Dr Steve Hambleton, said today that this is good news for patients as access to quality general practice care will continue to improve as more GPs graduate and start work in the community in coming years.
Dr Hambleton said that the Commonwealth has made a significant effort in recent years to address GP shortages.
“The number of first year GP training places will increase to 1200 in 2014, which is double the number available in 2007.
“This comes on top of the Commonwealth’s move in 2010 to provide funding to expand the number of prevocational training program places in general practice and new training places for specialist trainees in the private sector.
“These efforts are very welcome but more needs to be done, especially at the State and Territory level.
“Medical students numbers have more than doubled. By 2014, there will be more than 3700 students graduating from medical schools across the country.
“These graduates still need to be able to progress through prevocational and specialist training, and this will require more training places in our public hospitals and other clinical settings than are currently available – and this is largely the responsibility of the State and Territory governments,” Dr Hambleton said.
It is anticipated that Health Workforce Australia will next month deliver the National Training Plan (NTP) to Health Ministers. The NTP will set the number of prevocational and vocational medical training positions required to match the increased output of medical schools and enhance the capacity of the health system to meet the community’s needs through until 2025.
Dr Hambleton said that the implementation of the NTP will require significant funding, planning, and coordination, which can only be achieved if there is support at the highest levels across all governments.
“The Commonwealth should convene a specific COAG meeting at the earliest opportunity to reach agreement with the States and Territories on the way forward for the NTP.
“There must be an agreed national plan to provide sufficient quality prevocational and specialist training places, matched to the number of medical graduates, if we are to meet community need and improve access to medical services,” Dr Hambleton said.
24 February 2012
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