Thursday, 14 November 2019

In reply to  Mr GRIMLEY (Western Victoria) (16 October 2019)

Ms MIKAKOS (Northern Metropolitan—Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services):

I am informed that:

The Andrews Labor Government is committed to ensuring Victoria has a sustainable medical, nursing and midwifery and allied health workforce.

More than $200 million is invested every year in the training and development of Victorian doctors, nurses and allied health professionals to ensure a highly skilled health workforce with a strong emphasis on supporting rural health. Research on rural practice confirms that doctors who train in rural and regional locations are more likely to work in those locations. We are investing over $33 million per year to specifically support medical graduates and junior doctors undertake their medical education and training in rural and regional health services.

The Andrews Labor Government has allocated $12.5 million in 2019-20 to support the Victorian Rural Generalist Program, further increasing to $13.4 million in 2020-21, which will expand Rural Generalist training opportunities across rural and regional Victoria. This program aims to provide a supported and cohesive pathway to a rural career as a general practitioner with advanced skills in areas such as obstetrics, anaesthetics and emergency medicine to support our rural health services.

Whilst the Andrews Labor Government continues to invest in the education and training of rural general practitioners, improving access to primary care services remains the responsibility of the Federal Government. Years of inaction and successive years of freezes to the Medicare rebate by the Liberal National Federal Government has driven up out-of-pocket costs for patients and put pressure on GP practices, which in turn has placed added strain on our emergency departments.

The Liberal National Federal Government needs to reverse these changes and do more to incentivise doctors to provide bulk-billed services in the regions.

I continue to raise this issue with the Commonwealth Minister for Health, the Hon. Greg Hunt MP at every opportunity and advocate for Commonwealth initiatives to increase the number of general practitioners in rural and regional Victoria.