Record Investment in Specialist Doctor Training

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PDF printable version of Record Investment in Specialist Doctor Training (PDF 18 KB)

28 February 2011

The Minister for Health and Ageing, Nicola Roxon, today announced a record number of specialist doctors have started work across Australia in Commonwealth supported training places as part of a $356 million commitment to boost specialist doctors across the country.

518 trainee doctors are being supported to undertake specialist medical training, an increase of nearly 44% on 2010 and an unprecedented investment in the Specialist Training Program (STP) by the Commonwealth.

“The Gillard Government wants to make it easier to see a specialist doctor closer to home and getting trainee doctors out into the community early supports this.”

“We are making record investments in the health workforce and this crucial funding will boost the number of specialist training places to 900 by 2014 and result in an additional 680 specialist doctors in the system by 2020.

This is in stark contrast to the paltry 51 specialist training places that Tony Abbott provided for when he was Health Minister.

From Tamworth to Tiwi, the STP will provide much needed professional experience for trainee medical specialists beyond their normal training in the state-run, acute care, city-based teaching hospitals.

The STP will operate in more than 630 sites across the country with about half in regional, rural and remote areas.

We want to get specialist doctors out into the community and this program will mean that a radiology post in Fremantle, for example, will rotate through Rockingham, Broome, Carnarvon, Derby and Kunnunurra, getting valuable and diverse experience along the way.
The Gillard Government is committed to creating a sustainable health system that will deliver for our kids and grandkids and increasing the capacity of the health care sector to provide world class training opportunities is fundamental to this.

Through our partnership with nine specialist medical colleges, opportunities will be provided for the training of physicians, psychiatrists, pathologists, surgeons, radiologists, obstetricians and gynaecologists, dermatologists, ophthalmologists and medical administrators.

From July 1 this year more trainee doctors working under supervision will also be able to provide additional taxpayer subsidised services to patients who will be able to claim a rebate, and benefit from better access, closer to home in a wider range of settings.

There are 134 Specialist Training Places in New South Wales, 133 in Victoria, 105 in Queensland, 74 in Western Australia, 32 in South Australia, 11 in Tasmania, 23 in the Northern Territory and 6 in the Australian Capital Territory.

State/Territory	New funding	Continue funding	Total posts
Australian Capital Territory	0	6	6
Northern Territory	7	16	23
New South Wales	68	66	134
Queensland	22	83	105
South Australia	7	25	32
Tasmania	1	10	11
Victoria	27	106	133
Western Australia	31	43	74
TOTAL	163	355	518

*These numbers are current estimates and are subject to slight variation as doctors take up individual posts.

For more information, contact Ms Roxon’s Office: (02) 6277 7220