More doctors are choosing to work as specialists rather than GPs, pushing many to work in rural areas as Australia’s ever expanding medical workforce increases supply and competition for positions in metropolitan areas.
The ‘Evolution in the Medical Workforce’ report from Melbourne University also shows that the number of non-GP specialists is growing faster than the number of GPs, likely driven by increasing gaps in specialist and GP incomes.
The workforce figures sourced from the Department of Health by Professor Anthony Scott of the Melbourne Institute: Applied Economic & Social Research show that since 2005 the number of non-GP specialists has increased from around 22,000 to about 37,000 in 2019. In contrast GP numbers increased from around 23,000 in 2005 to just over 30,000 in 2019.
“Higher numbers of doctors in training and non-GP specialists are beginning to spill over into rural areas,” said Professor Scott in his report.
“More doctors are working outside of major metropolitan areas. Growth in the number of doctors outside major metropolitan areas outstrips the growth inside these areas for all doctors except for GPs. This is despite decades of policy targeted to persuade more GPs to go rural.”
As well as increased investment in regional training programs, the spillovers into rural and regional areas could also be caused by existing specialists spending more time in public hospitals reducing job opportunities for newly qualified non-GP specialists in major cities, he suggested.
Professor Scott said it was notable that Australia lacked any national medical workforce policy to guide the numbers of doctors working in different specialities.
“A higher proportion of junior doctors are continuing to choose non-GP specialty training, as the number of specialists grows faster than the number of GPs,” his report noted.
“Over the past 20 years there have been no explicit policies designed to alter specialty choices. More GP training places do not alter doctors’ preferences or the relative attractiveness of general practice. There is recent evidence that the number of GP training places are not being filled, with falls in the numbers of applicants for GP training.”