Regional doctor shortage: Horsham Rural City Council starts campaign to recruit and retain general practitioners

Horsham council will invite Lister House Medical Clinic and Wimmera Health Care Group to provide a briefing on the challenge and possible solutions.

Cr David Grimble moved that Horsham council make it a priority to make deputations on the issue to the federal government.

Cr Grimble said a shortage of general practitioners was also an issue for regional Australia as a whole.

“When people are ageing they seek quality healthcare,” Cr Grimble said.

“This is an issue for attracting residents. This is a good opportunity for Horsham council to take the lead on this significant issue,” he said.

Cr Josh Koenig said the supported Cr Grimble’s amendment to bring in more stakeholders for the campaign.

Cr John Robinson said it was not hard to find places that are affected by this issue, notes that other emergency services have similar issues.

Cr Radford said it was essential to make new doctors feel welcome and help meet their cultural needs.

“Keeping them is the challenge, probably bigger than attracting them,” Cr Radford said.

Cr Radford said it was essential to make new doctors feel welcome and help meet their cultural needs.

Mayor Pam Clarke said Horsham was nine doctors short and this was affecting related employment at health clinics and workloads at the Wimmera Base Hospital emergency department.

“When a person goes to the doctor, it costs the government $40, when they go to the hospital it costs $250,” she said. 

“The impact on our tax dollars is huge.”

Lister House clinic’s Amanda Wilson travelled to Canberra last month to discuss the doctor shortage with Federal Assistant Health Minister David Gillespie and Member for Mallee Andrew Broad. 

Wimmera Base Hospital saw 500 more emergency department presentations in the last three months of 2016.

Member for Lowan Emma Kealy has called on the state government to do more to help.