Medical practices re-classified to Distribution Priority Areas now able to easily recruit GPs

Brand residents will have better access to GPs and other essential medical services after the Federal Government reclassified the cities of Rockingham and Kwinana to Distribution Priority Areas. The new classification, effective from last Tuesday, allows local medical practices to address the GP shortage in the area, and enables clinics to recruit overseas trained doctors and bonded medical program participants. The Distribution Priority Area framework was introduced by the government in July 2019 and left many outer metropolitan areas — including Rockingham and Kwinana — struggling to recruit as they were no longer classified as priority areas. But the introduction of an “exceptional circumstances” review in September last year meant non-DPA areas facing GP workforce pressures and other significant factors could be re-assessed. Four practices in Rockingham and one in Kwinana are now DPAs under the exceptional circumstances framework: Jupiter Health Singleton, Jupiter Health Warnbro, Rockingham Medical Centre, Shoalwater Medical Centre and GP Extra in Kwinana. Jupiter Health regional recruitment manager Adelene Chew said the re-classification was a huge relief for practices in the area. “Doctors that are local graduates are hard to come by, a lot of doctors . . . are still bound by the 19AB moratorium,” Ms Chew said. Section 19AB of the Health Insurance Act 1973 restricts where overseas trained doctors and foreign graduates can work for a decade. Known as the 10-year moratorium, from the time of medical registration in Australia, overseas trained doctors and foreign graduates must work for at least 10 years in a DPA. “Because of the DPA reclassification that happened in 2019 . . . if they don’t have a DPA practice, it limits their working locations,” Ms Chew said. “Now because (Jupiter Health Singleton) is a DPA, we can just advertise for fellowship doctors (and overseas trained doctors).” With more applications under consideration for Jupiter Health, Ms Chew said advertising has been a breeze. “My emails are going off,” she said. Liberal Senator for Western Australia, Linda Reynolds, said the reclassification gives local medical practices more opportunity to address GP shortages. “This change gives local GP practices a larger pool of doctors to recruit from, making it easier for clinics to secure more doctors for Rockingham and Kwinana,” Senator Reynolds said. “This change will help ensure medical services in Brand have a choice of more doctors to work in their local communities, leading to an increased access to GP and primary care services for many hundreds of Australians.”