Medical practitioner supply up, but primary care doctor supply falls

The overall supply of medical practitioners in Australia rose between 2002 and 2006, while the primary care doctor supply fell, according to a report released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

According to the report, Medical Labour Force 2006, the number of full time equivalent (FTE) medical practitioners for every 100,000 people increased from 271 to 290 FTE, largely due to an overall increase in numbers.

This increase, from around 54,000 to 62,500 medical practitioners, more than compensated for a slight reduction in average working hours from 44 to 43 hours a week.

Among primary care practitioners, however, most of whom are GPs, the supply fell from 101 to 97 FTE per 100,000 population over the same 2002-2006 period.

The number of primary care practitioners rose, but not enough to compensate for the reduction in average working hours in the profession.

Major cities, at 332 FTE per 100,000, had the largest supply of medical practitioners, followed by inner regional areas at 184 FTE per 100,000, and outer regional areas at 154 FTE per 100,000.

In contrast, the variation in supply of primary care practitioners was smaller across major cities, and inner and outer regional areas at 98, 87 and 86 FTE per 100,000 respectively.