REGIONAL MEDICAL SPECIALISTS ASSOCIATION CALLS FOR ACTION ON WORKFORCE
The Regional Medical Specialists Association (RMSA) has issued a call
An article by Vikki Campion in the Saturday Telegraph of 19 April, syndicated to other publications nationally, brought the nation’s attention to the Bundaberg Cardiology group.
Bundaberg Cardiology was established by two South African emigres – Dr Andre Conradie in 2004 and Dr Hermann Wittmer in 2009. They have worked tirelessly over the years to develop high-quality interventional cardiology services in the Wide Bay region, centred at Bundaberg Cardiology in the Friendly Society Private Hospital.
The result of this dedicated work can be seen in the Australian Heart Foundation’s Heart Maps over this period. The current edition shows as follows:
Bundaberg follows the trend of increasing risk factors and incidence of heart disease with increasing distance from Capital cities. However it reverses this trend in mortality, with a post-heart attack survival rate to rival inner Metropolitan areas. The credit for this goes to the Bundaberg Cardiology group.
The trouble is, as the two principals approach retirement age, succession planning is thwarted by the reluctance of Australian graduates to go rural. So they continue to look overseas; most recently New Zealand. However the existing rules regarding district workforce shortages are based on Medicare Provider Number data. As previous short-term cardiologists who have worked in Bundaberg have not closed their Provider Numbers there, the Commonwealth considers that Bundaberg is oversupplied with cardiologists.
“One regional cardiology practice tried to hire a New Zealand-trained specialist, but he was rejected three times because, according to the federal health bureaucrats responsible for allocating Medicare provider numbers, the town he wanted to work in was apparently full of doctors.
‘Full’ is 1700 heart attack patients last year, sharing one and a half interventional cardiologists.
According to federal Health Minister Mark Butler’s office — in response to questions on notice by Hinkler MP Keith Pitt — the Wide Bay Burnett region in Queensland has enough cardiologists, failing to recognise that the only reason it has the specialists it does was because of the specialist hub established 10 years ago”, writes Campion.
Whilst the RMSA continues to support the "grow our own" model for rural and regional specialists, the situation in Bundaberg is approaching crisis point. It is likely that this issue will be discussed at our June annual general meeting in Mackay. We really hope that some continuity can be provided for the people of the Wide Bay, honouring the legacy of Conradie and Wittmer.
The Regional Medical Specialists Association (RMSA) has issued a call
The current edition of Insight, the industry publication for eye
The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists have
The President of the Regional Medical Specialists Association, Dr Peter