Gloucester's medical centre is looking to ring in the new year with a few more new doctors due to join the practice.
After a GP shortage leading up to the end of this year, Gloucester MediCo has announced that there will be an increase in its staffing numbers in early 2022.
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"We are pleased to be able to let the community know that Gloucester MediCo will be welcoming two full-time and two part-time doctors to the practice in February," practice manager, Melissa Williams said.
Initially the doctors are joining the practice in temporary positions as they will be studying towards their qualifications as specialty general practitioners, but there are hopes that the doctors will opt to stay on.
"These doctors are required to relocate at least once during their two year term, but it is hoped that these new doctors will opt to stay on or return to us in the future," Melissa explained.
A recent announcement by the federal government around new incentives and classifications changes may also assist with attracting new doctors permanently to Gloucester.
The changes give automatic access to the Distribution Priority Area (DPA) classification for regional and larger rural towns to make it easier for areas to recruit more doctors.
According to Federal Member for Lyne and Federal Minister for Regional Health David Gillespie, the DPA classification identifies locations in Australia with a shortage of doctors.
The Modified Monash Model (MMM) is how locations are identified as city, rural, remote or very remote.
Currently, only rural and remote communities under the MMM receive automatic DPA status, with other MMM locations having to be assessed annually to see whether the health services for the population meet a service benchmark, Dr Gillespie said.
The Federal Government will also invest in a significant incentive for eligible doctors and nurse practitioners to practice in rural, remote or very remote areas of Australia, by eliminating all or part of their Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) debt subject to meeting eligibility criteria, Dr Gillespie said.
So what does this mean for Gloucester?
According to Melissa, the medical centre is hopeful these changes will enhance the chances of recruiting and retaining new doctors.
"We are continuing the search for permanent doctors - doctors who would like to relocate to Gloucester and make it their home," Melissa said. "We will keep you up to date on the progress of this along with the launch of our new website and promotional video."