WITH the city’s population set to hit 558,000 by 2041, the recent announcement from the Royal Australian College of GPs will be welcomed by the city of Ipswich.
It was announced last week that the College has filled all its Australian GP Training (AGPT) Program places for the first time in years, despite a shortage taking its toll on the country’s health sector.
A recent report based on the Government’s latest modelling suggests a national shortage of full-time GP’s to edge closer to 9000 by 2048.
For 2025, 1504 junior doctors have accepted specialist training through the College’s AGPT program.
This is an increase of 19.8%, or 249 future GPs compared to last year’s intake.
The RACGP trains around 90% of Australia’s GPs, including those practising in regional, rural, remote, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins said it is clear Australia can train enough GPs but warned the Government must make lasting investments to tackle Australia’s GP shortage and ensure Australians can see a GP regularly.
“This is a record to be proud of, and the growth in training numbers reflects not just that the Government has given us the flexibility we need to accommodate prospective trainees and the funding to enable them to take placements, but the great experience junior doctors have had in GP training,” she said.
“This 20% growth in GPs in training is a sign the GP workforce is recovering.
“We’ve shown we can train more GPs, and we’ve shown we can get GPs to the communities who need them most, including rural and regional communities. We just need the funding to sustain this growth.”
Dr Higgins said while the 2023 Federal Budget was a game changer, the latest Budget handed down was the opposite.
“The 2024 Budget failed to support patients, with no increase to their Medicare rebates when they needed cost of living relief. When our patients can see a GP when they need to, they stay healthy,” she said.
“Everyone has a right to see a GP who knows their medical history when they need to.
“Our patients deserve healthy lives. This and future governments must commit to funding so patients don’t delay care until they end up in hospital – or find themselves left waiting in ambulances outside over-capacity hospitals.
“To tackle our current and future GP shortage, junior doctors need to see general practice as a top career pick. That means funding it like patients being able to see their GP is a top priority.
“The Government’s tripled bulk billing incentive may have added more bulk billed appointments.
Especially for children and in rural areas, but patients are showing they need more support.
