Rural town vows to ‘support a GP to no end’

The rural town of Kimba knows all too well the value of a regular GP – and what happens when patients are left without one.
 
No one knows it better than the mayor of the South Australian town, about a five-hour drive west of Adelaide.
 
‘It’s that continuity of care that is the problem and for patients that either put off health concerns or have to repeat their story every time they go to a new GP,’ Kimba Mayor Dean Johnson told newsGP.
 
‘I’m a type 1 diabetic, so I know complex medical conditions take a bit of managing and if you don’t look after those tests and keep an eye on the biomarkers, it can get out of control really quickly and you end up costing the system much more.
 
‘The other thing is mental health in rural communities – the fact is, the GP is the gateway into that service and if you don’t have a GP, you can’t get into the service at all and things compound quickly.’
 
In a bid to attract a permanent GP, the local council has built a $1 million medical centre and two houses with free rent for resident doctors.
 
It’s examined the ‘structures and the impediments’ in the healthcare system, it’s formed the Northern Eyre Peninsula Health Alliance, it’s successfully applied for innovation grants.
 
The community even banded together to create a recruitment video, explaining ‘we’re a good bunch, but unfortunately, there’s not one doctor among us’.
 
Despite these efforts, three years on, Kimba has been unable to permanently fill the vacancy.
 
Now, Mayor Johnson is calling for structural and systemic change, saying GPs must be better supported and incentivised on a federal level to take up permanent work in regional areas.
 
‘There does need to be some solid incentives built in to make sure the GP practice is sustainable in the longer term,’ he said.
 
‘We’ve had long periods of time where we’ve had GPs that have stayed here for 10, 15, 20, 30 years and we’ve had a couple of solo GPs that have done that for decades.
 
‘We’ve been through various ways and means to attract GPs here and had some success, but they’ve all been short-term.
 
‘We end up, when they leave, just back in the same position.’
 
It’s a story which rings true for small towns right across Australia.
 
In January, the Victorian town of Birregurra made headlines for offering free haircuts, gym classes, coffees, and beers to a prospective GP.
 
Similar recruitment drives have been held in Kerang, Goondiwindi, and Julia Creek.
 
RACGP President Dr Michael Wright said Mayor Johnson’s comment reflect the importance of GPs in smaller towns – not just as doctors, but as members of the community.
 
‘It's been great that we've seen major increases in the number of doctors applying to do general practice, as well as more funding to support the RACGP to deliver more general practice training,’ he told newsGP.
 
‘This community really does need a GP and hopefully as training numbers increase, we are going to have more GPs all around the country.
 
‘It’s really positive to see how welcoming communities are in recognising the value of what we do as GPs and the benefit we bring to any community, particularly one in a regional part of Australia.’
 
Change could be on the way for towns like Kimba, with the next generation of GPs choosing rural training pathways in record numbers.
 
This year, a record 1772 doctors joined the RACGP’s Australian General Practice Training Program – 841 of those are on a rural pathway and will spend all three years of their training in regional, rural, or remote communities.
 
A further 293 doctors will train as Rural Generalists.
 
In South Australia this year, 154 future GPs began the program, with 21 doctors training as Rural Generalists and 74 on a rural training pathway.
 
With the Kimba GP vacancy still open, Mayor Johnson hopes a permanent doctor will soon call the town home.
 
‘The people are really, really down to earth, hardworking, and appreciative, and would support a GP to no end,’ he said.
 
‘We’re also committed to doing everything we can to make the work-life balance for any GP balanced.
 
‘We’re committed to working through any problems that a GP has.’
 
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