EMMA MCBRIDE MP
SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR MENTAL HEALTH
SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR CARERS
MEMBER FOR DOBELL

INQUIRY NEEDED TO INVESTIGATE GP SHORTAGE ON THE COAST

Federal Member for Dobell, Emma McBride has today joined calls for a Senate Inquiry to be held to investigate GP shortages in regional areas, like the Central Coast.

Led by Shadow Minister for Health, Mark Butler and Senator Nita Green, Labor is now seeking an inquiry into the lack of doctors across regional and rural Australia.

“The Coast has been battling a critical lack of GPs for far too long,” Ms. McBride said.

“Patients are being forced to wait weeks for routine appointments, practices are closing their books and they’re being overwhelmed by lengthy cancellation lists.

“We need a Senate Inquiry to investigate and come up with practical solutions to fix this.”

The proposed inquiry would investigate acute GP shortages in regional and rural communities like the Coast, as well as reforms to Distribution Priority Areas (DPA) and GP training.

Under the Government’s current classification system, most of the Central Coast is considered a non-DPA which means it’s harder to access more GPs.

“I’ve been calling for the Government to recognise the north end of the Coast as a priority for a long time now, but my calls continue to fall on deaf ears,” Ms. McBride said.

“It’s time to shed light on the impact their decision has had on our region.

“Coasties deserve access to timely and quality health care.”

WEDNESDAY 4 AUGUST, 2021