Australia's medical workforce increased by just over 12% between
1996 and 2001, but because doctors are working fewer hours the
overall doctor supply remained unchanged, according to the latest
figures released today by the Australian Institute of Health and
Welfare (AIHW).
While there was an increase in the number of doctors from 260
per 100,000 population in 1996 to 275 per 100,000 in 2001, the
average number of hours worked by medical practitioners fell from
48.1 to 45.4 per week. The proportion of doctors working 50 hours
or more dropped from 52% to 47%.
The overall effect was that, based on a 35-hour working week,
the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) doctors remained steady at
357 FTE practitioners per 100,000 population in both 1996 and
2001.
The FTE supply of GPs, however, fell from 141 to 134 FTEs per
100,000 population, based on a 35-hour week.
Most of the growth in the medical workforce per 100,000
population was for specialists and specialists in training. The GP
component remained steady.
The fall in hours worked applied across all regions. Doctors in
remote areas, however, continued to work longer hours on average
than those in other areas-about 48 to 53 hours per week.
Head of the AIHW's Labour Force and Rural Health Unit, Glenice
Taylor, said that an encouraging sign for areas outside the capital
cities was that between 1996 and 2001 there were small to moderate
increases in FTE rates in inner regional, remote and very remote
areas. The largest of these was in very remote regions where supply
rose from 142 to 170 FTE practitioners per 100,000 population.
Ms Taylor also said that despite the stability in doctor supply,
the nature of Australia's medical workforce changed between 1996
and 2001.
'For example our medical practitioners got older. In 1996, the
average age of medical practitioners was 44.9 years-this shifted to
46.1 years in 2001.'
'And the proportion of female practitioners continued to rise,
from 28% in 1996 to 31% in 2001.'
Other information contained in the report includes:
- There were 53,384 registered medical practitioners working in
medicine in Australia in 2001.
- Most (93%) were clinicians, of whom just under half were GPs,
and one-third were specialists.
- In 2001, the highest practitioner rates were in the ACT,
Northern Territory and South Australia, followed by Victoria, New
South Wales, Tasmania, Western Australia and Queensland.
21 November 2003
Further information: Ms Glenice Taylor, AIHW,
tel. 02 6244 1153
Media copies of the report: Publications Officer,
AIHW, tel. 02 6244 1032
Availability: Check the AIHW
Publications Catalogue for details.