Dr Phelps, AMA President, Radio 2DU News
NEWSREADER: The Australian Medical Association has rejected figures from the Productivity Commission showing a 4.3 per cent increase in the number of rural doctors. The AMA says the figures are made up of temporary resident doctors and overseas graduates, claiming the Federal Governments numerous strategies to combat the rural doctor shortage are yet to succeed.
AMA President, Dr Kerryn Phelps, says the downgrading of rural hospitals is a major reason for the doctor shortage.
PHELPS: We know that where rural hospitals have been downgraded that the doctors do become disenchanted. And either go and work somewhere else, where there are the facilities which enable them to do the sort of work they want to do - whether that's the obstetrics in a civic surgery or acute medicine or whatever it is where they have a special interest, but that they also have professional support around them from other medical practitioners, nursing staff and paramedical people.
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