Labor Delivers Record Number of Doctors and Nurses to Regional Australia
A record number of doctors and nurses are delivering much needed health services to communities around regional Australia according to new Medicare data released today following the Australian Government’s historic investments in regional health.
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4 September 2011
A record number of doctors and nurses are delivering much needed health services to communities around regional Australia according to new Medicare data released today following the Gillard Government’s historic investments in regional health.
The new 2010-11 Medicare statistics were released today alongside a Government-commissioned report by the National Centre for Social Applications of Geographic Information Systems (GISCA). This report examines the ASGC-RA classification system developed by the ABS that supports the Government’s $134m Rural Workforce Strategy, which forms part of the Government’s regional workforce investments.
Minister for Health and Ageing Nicola Roxon welcomed the increases as evidence the Gillard Government’s record investments in regional health—which in 2011-12 will exceed $1.2 billion, a 150% increase from the last year of Howard Government—are making a real difference for families across regional Australia.
“This new data shows the Gillard Government’s national health reform agenda is delivering more doctors, more nurses and better health outcomes for regional Australians,” Ms Roxon said.
“Through national health reforms, our workforce training programs will deliver an extra 5,500 GPs, 680 specialists, and 5,400 junior-doctor-training places in general practice nationwide by 2020. At least half of these positions will be in regional areas.
“Almost 11,000 doctors are eligible for our GP rural incentives, and new Medicare data shows since the Rural Workforce Strategy began in 2010, the number of GPs working in regional Australia has increased by 4.4 per cent, more than double the rise in metropolitan areas.
“These first year results show our Strategy is already paying dividends in getting doctors into the bush.
“Getting doctors into the bush is never going to be an easy task, but these reports show our Government is helping to stop the rot from Tony Abbott’s neglect of our rural workforce.
“The Rural Workforce Strategy works together with our record regional investments in training GPs and building new clinical and training facilities to make working in the bush that much more attractive for doctors.”
The GISCA report identified that overall the ASGC-RA classification system is working well. The Government will now work with stakeholders to consider the report.
The release of the GISCA report and Medicare statistics reinforce the good news from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Labour force statistics on medical, nursing and midwifery staff for 2009 and the Deloitte Review of the Rural Medical Workforce Distribution Programs and Policies, which again showed improvements in health workforce statistics in both regional and metropolitan Australia.
“Since coming to Government, AIHW data tells us the number of doctors in Australia has increased by fourteen per cent to 350 full time equivalent (FTE) doctors per 100,000 people.
“Importantly, the number of doctors in outer regional areas has increased significantly, which is great news for regional Australia.
“Nursing numbers in very remote Australia has also increased by eight per cent—an important step in addressing the shortage of nurses in Australia.”
For more information, contact the Minister's Office on (02) 6277 7220
Further information:
- The GISCA report can be found at www.health.gov.au
- More information about the Rural Workforce Strategy can be found at www.doctorconnect.gov.au
- The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Labour force statistics on medical, nursing and midwifery staff for 2009 can be found at www.aihw.gov.au
Medicare Statistics
GP Full-time Workload Equivalent (FWE) increase for regional Australia 2009-10 to 2010-11State/territory | GP FEW increase 2009-10 to 2010-11 |
NSW | 4.8% |
Vic | 4.9% |
Qld | 4.4% |
SA | 2.1% |
WA | 5.6% |
Tas | 2.6% |
NT | 6.4% |
ACT | n/a |
National | 4.4% |
Regional Australia is defined as ASGC-RA areas RA2 (Inner Regional Australia) to RA5 (Very Remote Australia).
ASGC-RA is a geographic classification system that was developed in 2001 by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), as a statistical geography structure which allows quantitative comparisons between 'city' and 'country' Australia.
The purpose of the structure is to classify data from census Collection Districts (CDs) into broad geographical categories, called Remoteness Areas (RAs). The RA categories are defined in terms of ‘remoteness’ - the physical distance of a location from the nearest Urban Centre (access to goods and services) based on population size.
Further information about the ASGC-RA is available from:
http://doctorconnect.gov.au/internet/otd/publishing.nsf/Content/RA-intro
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