Australia has 5283 more specialists than GPs and the gap is growing
A new report says there are virtually no health policies to counter the rise of non-GP specialism
There are over 5000 more non-GP specialists in the Australian medical workforce than GPs, and their numbers are still growing at a faster rate, a new report warns.
Its author, Professor Anthony Scott, says that, despite the burden of chronic disease and a recognised need for more generalist doctors outside the cities, there is “no evidence of increasing generalism”.
In 2014, there were 3143 more non-GP specialists than GPs; five years later the gap had grown to 5283, according to his report, called the Evolution of the Health Workforce.
And the gap is expected to increase further, with the growth rate of non-GP specialists now at 4.5% a year compared with 3.5% a year for GPs.
