Eight Mid West doctors appointed this financial year as Rural Health West increases regional GP numbers

Eight new GPs have been placed in the Mid West as part of Rural Health West’s near-doubling of recruits to the regions compared to last financial year. This year so far, the organisation has recruited 50 GPs to WA’s rural and remote communities, with eight for the Mid West. It is a significant increase on the 28 who were hired in the 2022-23 financial year. The recruits were graduates from Australia and abroad, and were either new to the country or had experience within Australia’s health system. Rural Health West chief executive Tim Shackleton said international graduates were becoming an important part of the sector. “International medical graduates are an essential part of rural and remote general practice and make up nearly half of its workforce in Western Australia,” he said. “As of November 2023, there were 960 GPs working in rural and remote Western Australia, of which 52 per cent (499) were international medical graduates. “Of the 50 GPs recruited, 22 were female GPs. Female GPs now represent nearly 50 per cent of the Western Australian rural and remote general practice workforce.” The reasons for the increase to rural GPs was not clear, according to the organisation. Rural Health West cited normality to life post COVID, as well as doctors looking for new career opportunities as the drivers behind the boost. Mr Shackleton said: “Our demographic and geographic challenges in recruiting GPs are some of the toughest in the nation.” He acknowledged there were shortfalls in recruiting, due to the uneven spread of doctors across the regions. The South West region appointed 17 GPs, while just one GP was recruited in the Kimberley. The organisation said it was working with people throughout the rural health care sector to address the issue.