Ian, you have gone where no man has dared to go before with a long overdue comment on a series of related problems. I do not think that you are quite fair on your criticism of the failure of successive Govts to expand medical training posts. In the ‘70s and ‘80s it was received opinion by one & all (including me) that the driver of medical overservicing (tests, drugs) was the doctor and consequently control of doctor numbers would control medical expenditure. I think that everyone now knows that this was quite wrong and that the driver is the patient. The result of this error resulted in failure of many new medical schools to get off the planning board; Newcastle just got over the bar, James Cook & Deakin did not. It now seems to be open go and I must confess to some concern over a private medical school (Bond) and a religious one (Aust. Catholic). I am told that Queensland will graduate 600 students in 2011 & also that Victoria will have 1500 graduates soon. I would have thought that provision of clinical training would be a problem even though the private system now appears to be available. As a crusty old relic, I have doubts about the capacity of non–metropolitan hospitals to deliver adequate training – certainly in the case of specialist training. Whether the Colleges will relax their grip on entry criteria is a very moot point; when I asked my son, the anaesthetist, he dodged the question. With regard to overseas qualifications, your example is a GP: with respect to a consultant physician it is far less open and shut; in the case of surgeons I would be very reluctant to submit to the knife of a non–Australian certified person (who is next case for Dr Patel ?).

Considering the 6yrs Uni, the 3 years attending with long hrs, what GPs make is not excessive. To get the big money requires roughly 6-12 yrs further study, and then they start earning in their mid 30s.

In spite of this, there are more doctors immigrating than emigrating.

As for the entry requirements, While this does exclude many good doctors, it does also keep out many incompetents. The relaxed acceptance in the UK has lead to issues.

Med school is still highly sought after, and if the places were increased by 20% they would still be filled by highly competent students. This is really where they should start.

I agree with Shadow Minister. We need to increase the number of places for medical students in university- and fast.

I also have grave doubts about Catholic (or any other religion) run and endorsed universities for training Doctors. I doubt they would have abortion, contraception or euthanasia among their class subjects.
We need Doctors who are knowledgeable in all subjects when they graduate.

I believe we have one of the best health systems in the world, having worked in this system in Australia for 30 years.

Having had colleagues who have worked in Britain and in the United States, we are lucky here - believe me!

Yes, some Doctors are seeking to feather their own nests by creating a more exclusive market for their talents.
However, I have worked with many Doctors who have come from overseas and been accepted to work here by our Medical Board.

Some have been dreadful, so I would hate to see the ones that were knocked back permission to practice in Australia.

There are rigorous tests for Doctors from other countries who wish to practice in Australia- and rightly so.

Another reason for the shortage of GP's not covered by this article is the the growth of women in this occupation. Generally female GP's work fewer hours than the males and secondly will be taking time off to have children etc.

To take this into account means we have to increase numbers by at least another third.

Shadow Minister and other market perverting apologists.

12 years study poor Drs awwwww. What a load of old tosh, they do it because they see (MD as Many Dollars...a lifestyle). No one forced them to choose that career path.
As if they are the only profession that does that. Try some big school head masters or some engineers. Both of whom work infinitely more hours for comparatively less.

I know PHD's and multiple degree individuals who wish they had similar pay packets and/or lifestyles.

Not that long ago The top med student in Melb wanted to become a surgeon. The hospital was prepared to take him on but the college said no....perish the thought that there might be too many surgeons and capitalist mantra might kick in, as in supply and demand.

There was a well documented example of a specialist in Zurich who was a leader in his field the person who was 'THE' expert that specialists referred people too. However when He wanted to come here the college would recognise his qualifications...'because they were from a country we consider not up to scratch! It might set a precedent'

Go to Collins St Melb, Melbourne St Adelaide, Wickham Tce Brisbane and there's too many to point a stick at. Then try and find one that doesn't charge like a NZ rugby team.
Go to a public hospital and wait and wait and wait. Do I mention dentists, vets?
As for pathologies ….what a money machine.

Look at the their distribution per head per capita between leafy eastern suburbs and the poorer western. And god help the bush. How many specialists are prepared to go bush?
Ask why?

We suck in O/S GPs BECAUSE we offer a better life style or a stepping stone to the US etc.

NB I'm NOT Saying every doctor is a money grabbing whatzis but their unions (sorry I meant 'colleges' bollocks, I meant unions) control the numbers so that they remain 'special'. Like lawyers, accountants etc

We really have a wonderful system for training doctors in Australia! Only students with ENTER scores of 99.9 get into the medical schools. They are obviously intelligent, but are they smart?, are they empathetic?, are they interested in preventative health (poor remuneration) or do they prefer to simply treat symptoms with drugs and the knife (much better remuneration)? Most were likely pushed through HSC (or equivalent) by elite city private schools, they have far to much self importance to ever willingly work in rural areas - rather let the country bumpkins be treated by overseas trained doctors whose grip of English is tenuous! Once they become specialists, lets say repairing inguianal and umbilical hernias only, all their training in diagnosis and general medicine is for nought - and yet they expect million dollar salaries despite being little more than well trained operators or technicians.

Doctors expect and get huge salaries - but are they worth it?
Or are they bleeding the system dry - diverting monies that could be used to better treat patients in order to pay for their vineyards or their country getaway.

"On average, a physician will interupt a patient describing his or her symptoms within eighteen seconds. In that short time, many doctors decide on the likely diagnosis and best treatment. Often, decisions made this way are correct, but at crucial moments they can be wrong - with catastrophic consequences".

In a splendid and courageous book by Dr Jerome Groopman entitled "How Doctors Think" the author "lifts the lid on possibly the most taboo topic in medicine : the pervasive nature of misdiagnosis. His narrative exposes all of the subtle mental traps - the snap judgements and sterotypical thinking, the premature conclusions and herd instinct - that dangerously narrow the vision of too many physicians".

Don't for a second imagine that our doctors are worth it - only self diagnosis over the internet can save the patient with the more unusual or baffling symptons.

I could go on, and on, and on ----

There was once a little village in Wales with a dry stone, hump–back bridge. The local Council was very worried about it and called in an "expert". He looked carefully at their bridge, took a little hammer out of his pack and tapped one stone. "That's the one he said. Replace it". The Council were very grateful until they received his bill for $2000.00. They said that that was ridiculous for simply tapping a stone and refused payment. The expert sent a second bill which stated:
1. Tapping stone. $1.00
2. Knowing which stone to tap. $1999.00

Monopolies are never good

The problem with all government sponsored/fostered industries is “monopoly” (or her sister, oligopoly) is the only way they operate.

Maybe the fanciful notion and socialist utopia of “free medicine for all” is just too expensive a collective proposition when the market forces, which prevail to ensure excellence in other markets, are denied the right to function in the arena of medical services.

Maybe a real insurance system, working on a real commercial basis and at arms length from both the medical profession and government will produce the competitive stimulus which works so well elsewhere

(I will now wait for the heavens to fall in, in an attempt to crush me)

Examinator,

If you spend your life looking through your filter of paltry qualifications and income.

I know of many top engineers earning > $200 000 p.a. and some on their own earning much more.

If you do a PHD in art, you know you probably will end up working for Mc donald's

One of the other causes of high medical costs in this country is the requirement to see an MD for prescriptions or many minor health issues.

Many nursing staff are perfectly capable of diagnosing common ailments and knowing when a doctor is needed, and should be allowed to issue prescriptions for low scheduled items.

Requiring a MD to treat simple ailments will create a shortage of MDs and increase the costs to the state.