While a move by the Federal Government to include the Kiama LGA in its expansion of the health system’s Distribution Priority Areas (DPA) - to give access to a wider pool of doctors to fill GP positions - might seem like good news it is likely to be counterproductive across the country, according to local doctors.

International medical graduates and overseas trained doctors are only able to access Medicare if they work in a DPA area, so a DPA classification means practices in these areas have access to more doctors who can work for the local community. 

“I am expecting it to be much more difficult to recruit moving forward due to these changes, which are not supported by our College,” says Gerringong Medical Practice GP Dr Jacqueline Sloan.

“The DPA system has been the main way we prioritize where doctors are needed in this country.

“We now have a situation where much larger regional towns and areas much closer to the cities, for example Wollongong, are considered an area of need.

“We expect many less doctors will come to work in more rural and regional areas due to this change.”

Dr Tom Hilliar of Kiama Downs Medical Practice agrees that more remote areas will miss out through the change.

"I think that they are the people that need this the most. It's definitely a double edged sword.

"It’s a great benefit to our community potentially but it is also a threat to practices further away in rural areas.

"We’re very privileged to be given such a great change in our ability to attract doctors."

When the announcement was made, the Member for Gilmore, Fiona Phillips said, “This latest update of GP services is great news for local people. I have been raising concerns about the DPA classification for some time, so I am really happy to see this change being made now.”

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) warned that the expansion of the classification will see GPs leaving rural and remote communities.

“Robbing Peter to pay Paul will not solve the GP shortage in communities across Australia. And that is what the unintended consequence of this policy will be, it will draw GPs from more rural areas,” said RACGP President Adj. Professor Karen Price.

“The GP shortage is an extremely complicated problem and there is no quick fix solution. We need more medical students choosing general practice as their career – currently only around 16 per cent of graduates are choosing GP training.

“In order to change this, we need to cut red tape and reform healthcare funding in Australia, to ensure general practice is appropriately supported, sustainable and an attractive and viable career choice.”

Dr Sloan agrees, “Access to GPs and other medical specialists in rural and remote areas is dramatically different to that of our cities, and it is very disappointing that the government has not developed other policies to increase the numbers of GPs, and provide incentives for the GPs that we have to leave the cities and work in rural areas.”

Dr Hilliar says there has been a third drop in people going into GP training in the last year.