Local GP practices in towns such as Mount Gambier and Naracoorte will have more options and a larger pool of doctors to recruit from, following changes announced by the Federal Government.
Member for Barker Tony Pasin said the change would provide a real difference to patients in the Limestone Coast.
“Short term, this mean that our local practices can begin reaching out to overseas doctors who want to move to our region and practice here in Barker,” Mr Pasin said.
The Distribution Priority Area (DPA) classification identifies locations in Australia with a shortage of doctors. Currently, only rural and remote (MMM 5-7) communities receive automatic DPA status with other MMM locations assessed annually to see whether the health services for the population meet a service benchmark.
This change gives automatic access to the DPA classification for regional and larger rural towns (MMM 3-4) to make it easier for areas to recruit more doctors.
Students who accepted a Commonwealth Supported Place in an Australian medical course in return for a commitment to work in a regional, rural and remote area at the end of their studies must also work in a DPA.
