Experts say urgent action is needed to reverse the steep decline of new GPs. 

A new study published this week in the Australian Journal of Rural Health has uncovered that new enrolments in GP vocational training in the NT have declined more than 80% over the past 7 years, with only 14 commencing in 2023.

To begin to overturn this issue, expanding opportunities for newly qualified doctors to get experience in general practice has been identified as the highest priority for action to address this complex and multifaceted problem.

Led by Menzies’ Professor of Remote and Rural Health Services Research, Professor John Wakerman and Senior Research Fellow, Dr Deborah Russell, this study included interviews with more than 50 representatives of the medical community from NT and across Australia, who discussed and ranked potential strategies to tackle this issue.

This resulted in 5 key solutions being highlighted across the GP training pathway. These included:

  • Medical school stage: Ensuring adequate infrastructure to accommodate and support extended learning in primary health care settings

  • Junior doctor training stage: Introducing and investigating additional primary health care training opportunities for junior doctors

  • GP training stage: Offering portable employment benefits, together with high quality, culturally sensitive and flexible personal and professional support

  • General Practice: Better remuneration of GPs 

  • Profession perception: Greater promotion of the diverse experiences and expedited GP career opportunities available in the NT

GPs are essential to ensuring a strong primary healthcare system. Both are vital in the Northern Territory, due to its remoteness and higher rate of chronic health conditions experienced by the population, particularly First Nations Australians.

The consequences of not training enough GPs locally include ongoing workforce shortages, increased reliance on expensive locums, reduced continuity of care, and poorer health outcomes such as increased hospital admissions.