As the shortage of GPs on the Central Coast continues to be a problem, the Federal Labor Party had pledged to give the entire region DPA status if it comes to power at the next election, due by May.
Meanwhile, sitting Member for Robertson, Lucy Wicks, said several areas to the north of the region had been granted DPA status under a recent review process with several general practices across the southern end of the Coast expected to follow.
Labor’s candidate for Robertson, Dr Gordon Reid, said while it was welcome news that some areas to the north of the region had recently been granted the status, many areas of the Coast including Kincumber, Erina, Green Point, Gosford, Kariong, Point Clare, Terrigal and Wamberal have not yet been granted the classification, which allows local practices to recruit and retain more GPs from a wider pool of doctors, including overseas trained doctors and bonded medical practitioners.
“The health system on the Coast is under incredible strain due to patients’ difficulty in accessing regular primary care services,” Reid said.
“The Federal Government must extend the DPA status to include all of the Central Coast.
“Our health system is already under enough pressure with the Government’s mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Central Coast residents have the right to be able to access the healthcare that they need.”
Shadow Assistant Minister for Health and Ageing, Ged Kearney, was on the Coast recently to highlight the issue.
Kearney said the critical shortage of doctors in the region was a major concern.
“The Labor Party started an inquiry into why this is so and what is happening, why it’s happening, and what we can do to fix it,” she said.
“The Government has exacerbated a critical shortage of GPs by taking away a specific designation of rural areas where they can get overseas doctors, where they can have more medical students, where they can actually increase the general practitioner group.
“We all know how important general practitioners are to communities; we all know that they are the bedrock of our health system.
“But if you can’t get into a GP, if you have to wait weeks, if they’ve closed their books so they’re not taking any more patients, what do you do?
“You have to go to the local hospital and then you block up the ED and you have to wait for hours; that’s not the answer.”
Member for Robertson, Lucy Wicks, said the Government had a proven track-record of delivering more GPs on the Central Coast.
“I have been working to get more GPs on the Central Coast since 2017, when the Federal Government set up an expert working group to investigate options to improve residents’ access to GPs on the Woy Woy Peninsula,” Wicks said.
“This task force was able to deliver seven new GPs on the Peninsula.
“In addition to this, in August 2021 an additional 33 GP Registrars started across our region.
“However, we know there is more work to be done, and that’s why the Government commenced the exceptional circumstances review process for the Department of Health’s Distribution Priority Area (DPA) classification system.
“This system aims to help regions like the Central Coast respond to workforce and population changes which may be impacting access to local GP services.
“All GP clinics across the Central Coast can now apply for an exceptional circumstances review and, if approved, they will be eligible to access additional programs to support recruitment from a broader pool of doctors.”
Wicks said several areas to the north of the region had been granted DPA status under the review process.
“I have been advised by the Central Coast Primary Health Network that they are working with a number of general practices across the southern end of the Coast on applications to review their DPA status,” she said.
“I look forward to the outcome of these applications.”
Wicks said Labor’s announcement was designed to play politics rather than deliver for Central Coast.
She said it would result in areas currently experiencing recruiting difficulties competing with areas that are already well serviced, making it more difficult for many areas of need to access the overseas doctor pool.
Terry Collins