COUNTRY HEALTH CARE PLAN

Mr GRIFFITHS (Goyder) (15:04): I have a supplementary question. By virtue of his answer, can the Minister for Health assure that there will be no reduction in the number of GPs within regional South Australia to provide emergency services?

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health, Minister for the Southern Suburbs, Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts) (15:04): Come in spinner. I apologise to my colleague who wants me to speed up, but there is absolutely no way I can let that pass without giving a full and frank explanation to the house. The idea that I somehow or other control GP—

The Hon. P.F. Conlon interjecting:

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Yes, I know; I understand that. The idea that the state government controls the supply of general practitioners to country South Australia is an absurd one. We attempt to help by funding the Rural Doctors Workforce Agency—$15 million over the next three years. Let me tell the house about the current arrangements in country South Australia in relation to doctors.

There are currently shortages of medical practitioners in country Australia and South Australia and, like many other jurisdictions, we recruit from overseas. Currently in country South Australia there are 445 doctors in general practice; 296 of those have full registration allowing them to practise as general practitioners; 34 are resident specialists, which means they provide a series of specialist services; but approximately 23 per cent of the total (that is, 104 doctors) in country Australia are overseas trained doctors, and some of these can practise only in limited geographical areas due to the limitations placed on their entry visas by the federal government.

The Country Health Care Plan will make no difference to these arrangements whatsoever. The only reason that we have doctors in many small remote country communities is that they are conscripted there as a result of the immigration arrangements that have been put in place. I think it is shameful, but that is nonetheless the reality of it.

We do not currently produce enough doctors in Australia, as a result of federal government policy to reduce the number of doctors-in-training places and to restrict the Medicare arrangements. Fortunately, the Howard government in its last year increased the number of training places. That will, over time, have an impact, but not in the short term.

We also know that something like 40 or 45 per cent of clinicians in South Australia will retire in the next 15 years. That puts enormous pressure on the supply of doctors at a time when the demand is going up. So that is why we have problems getting access to GPs, not because of actions by this government. Of the 43 hospitals which will become GP Plus emergency hospitals, all are designated as areas of need for the purpose of priority placement of doctors.

All those GP Plus hospitals are designated as areas of need. Of these 43 sites, 29 are designated as districts of workforce shortage by the commonwealth. This means that they can recruit international medical graduates for those areas with limited registration to work only in that area. That is how the system is being worked now: 13 sites already have overseas trained doctors with limited registration, making a total of 18 such doctors.

I could go on, Mr Speaker. I will not, but let me say that the issue of the supply of GPs, I believe, will be strengthened by our plan because, with larger training centres—all of these general hospitals will become training hospitals or teaching hospitals—more doctors will be able to train in the country, and we know that if people train in the country they are more likely to pursue careers in the country.

If they are more likely to have support, they are more likely to have interesting and complex cases. That is what is going to make reform happen in the country; that is what is going to deliver more doctors to country South Australia.