The Australian Medical Association today called for the establishment of an independent national health workforce planning agency to ensure Australia's medical workforce is distributed where it's needed, improving access to healthcare for all Australians.
AMA President Dr Danielle McMullen said building a sustainable medical workforce was essential to future-proofing Australia's healthcare system.
"There are many regions across Australia where access to healthcare remains a challenge due to maldistribution and shortages," Dr McMullen said.
"This leads to Australians facing prolonged wait times for appointments, delayed diagnosis and a backlog of care, which adds up to substandard patient health outcomes."
Dr McMullen said health workforce planning stalled when Health Workforce Australia was abolished in 2014, and the Department of Health and Aged Care had too many competing priorities to properly tackle the issue.
"The impact of the loss of this agency can be seen in the workforce issues we are facing now. Thorough, evidence-based planning, coordination and policy advice is needed on workforce to ensure the healthcare needs of Australians can be met in the future."
The AMA's pre-budget submission on Australia's healthcare workforce provides costed solutions to current workforce shortages, which are leading to more Australians struggling to receive timely care. The submission proposes a $182.6 million commitment to create an independent workforce planning agency.
This aligns with the recommendations of the 2021–2031 National Medical Workforce Strategy that calls for a joint medical workforce planning and advisory body with sufficient authority and expertise to advise and make recommendations on the size and structure of the medical workforce.
AMA Council of Doctors in Training Chair Dr Sanjay Hettige said Australia is faced with a situation where no-one knows how many medical students are needed to meet future community need.
"Policy development is happening in a vacuum, and we are seeing a growing number of doctors in training unable to access a specialty training place," Dr Hettige said.
"A national health workforce planning agency would ensure Australia has a health workforce with the right skills, in the right locations, to meet future community needs and demand."
Dr McMullen said the release last year of a Department of Health and Aged Care workforce study into general practice, which confirmed the results of an earlier AMA's analysis showing that Australia faces significant GP workforce shortages, means there is now a much more informed discussion about GP workforce numbers taking place.
"Our budget submission also acts on the advice of the department's study, calling for an expansion of the John Flynn Prevocational Doctor Program and the addition of 500 more training rotations, along with a phased progression of a further 500 funded Australian general practice training places.
