GPs @ Parliament takes over Tasmania

A delegation of Tasmanian GPs is taking the health of local politicians into their own hands through the creation of a pop-up clinic inside the state’s Parliament House.
 
The RACGP’s ongoing GPs @ Parliament advocacy campaign travelled to Hobart on Tuesday, with the aim of GPs speaking directly to politicians about the urgent healthcare changes needed.
 
As part of the campaign, the group of 10 GPs took MPs’ blood pressure, waist circumference, and chatted about their general health to highlight the crucial work of GPs.
 
RACGP Tasmanian Chair Dr Toby Gardner told newsGP this sit down provided the perfect opportunity for the group to outline the college’s key priorities for GPs in the state.
 
‘The biggest issue is the lack of doctors to take over some of these practices that are closing,’ he said.
 
‘As we’re seeing nationally, particularly in rural areas and really, all of Tassie is a rural area, is less and less doctors pursuing general practice, and those who do are much more concentrated in the capital cities.’
 
Specifically, the group is calling for new funding to attract 20 overseas-trained specialist doctors to become GPs via the RACGP’s Fellowship Support Program (FSP).
 
It also wants support for trainee doctors participating in the John Flynn Prevocational Doctor Program to complete general practice rotations to promote it as a career speciality, and funding to vaccinate vulnerable Tasmanians against potentially fatal meningococcal and RSV infections.


The delegation of GPs inside Tasmania’s Parliament House.
 
Dr Gardner said the RACGP already has strong connections with the state’s decisionmakers on all sides of politics and feels as if its advocacy efforts are beginning to pay off and create change.
 
‘They’ve been responsive to some of the workforce discussions going forward and ways that we could incentivise people in general practice, they’re all about doing pilots, and trying to find creative ways to solve workforce issues down here,’ he said.
 
‘We just want to reinforce that general practice is lifelong medicine and that the relationship with a GP is so important in maintaining someone’s health and keeping them out of hospital.
 
‘Primary care is the main way of keeping people healthy in our community, rather than fracturing it or splintering it up into lots of different interest groups.’
 
Advocacy efforts in the state paid off last year, when a potentially debilitating payroll tax was taken off the table.
 
While this was welcomed, it comes at a time when a growing list of practices are closing their doors, including the looming closure of a rural general practice in southern Tasmania and three closures in Hobart in May.
 
Additionally, Tasmania only has around 106 GPs per 100,000 people, well below the national average of 119.


L–R: Health Minister Guy Barnett, RACGP Tasmania Deputy Chair Dr Alexandra Seidel, Legislative Council President Craig Farrell, RACGP Tasmania Chair Dr Toby Gardner, and Premier Jeremy Rockliff at Parliament House. 

Dr Gardner said he hopes Tuesday’s event helps to put the plight of GPs front of mind for those responsible for creating change, and further strengthen already established relationships.
 
‘We meet with politicians on both sides of Parliament regularly, at least every two to three months, and Tasmania is a small enough place that we all actually know each other personally as well,’ he said.
 
‘That makes it really easy to maintain relationships with politicians and we are just building on that, consolidating that, and showing that we are the voice for general practice in Tasmania.’
 
A national GPs @ Parliament event was held in Canberra earlier this year, seeing 20 GPs from across Australia take part in a three-day advocacy event with Federal MPs from all sides.
 
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general practice workforce payroll tax practice closures Tasmania workforce shortages