NT politicians avoiding the Territory’s health concerns

The Territory’s political parties must commit to firm action to improve access to essential general practice care across the NT before the election on Saturday, says the Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP). 

RACGP NT Chair Dr Sam Heard said: “While we welcome the major parties agreeing to consultation, we need firm commitments to tangible action to improve access to essential general practice care for Territorians.  

"Access to healthcare is essential and it should be right up there with policing as a priority for NT politicians. We need to ensure our communities are safe and healthy.   

“What we’re telling NT political parties is simple: investing in general practice works. It keeps people healthy and eases pressure on our hospitals, which means more beds free for people who do urgently need hospital care – so we don’t need to jump on a plane when we’re in pain.    

“We need to grow our GP workforce. And we’ve had great success in getting more GPs training in the Territory by offering incentive payments which help with the significant costs to relocate and get set up.  

“RACGP incentives helped place 23 registrars into NT communities this year, and over half of those who joined at the start of the year chose to stay beyond their initial six-month placement. This was supported by NT Primary Health Network grant funding to help registrars relocate to Darwin and remote communities. 

“This shows what we know – GPs who train in the NT and experience the Territory’s lifestyle and opportunities are more likely to stay. So, this is growing our workforce for the future.  

“But there are significant shortages of primary care workers in the Territory, including pharmacists and nurses. The current shortfall of GPs is around 100 – we need investment from government to fill the gap, so every community can access GPs when they need. 

“There is no substitute for the quality care you get from a GP who knows you and your history, and people in the Territory deserve nothing less.   

“The reason why the Territory has a higher burden of chronic and complex disease and highest premature death rate is partly because too many people struggle to access the care they need – three-in-four people in the NT had at least one long-term health condition in 2022. 

“I also welcome the Labor Party committing to continuing consultation with GPs on scope of practice protocols to ensure safe delivery of healthcare across the NT. This contrasts with the Country Liberal Party’s dangerous proposal to allow pharmacists to treat 21 conditions despite not having medical training – this risks misdiagnosis and incorrect treatment. 

“It’s less than a week to the NT election. Territorians deserve access to the same high-quality care as the rest of Australia – we need bipartisan commitment to action that will improve access to essential GP care across the NT.” 

RACGP NT is calling for: 

• Funding for 6-weeks locum coverage for rural GPs so they can afford a locum and have a break. 

• Investment to repair existing housing, build new houses where needed, and ensure all accommodation is fit for use by GPs and registrars who care for patients in remote communities.     

• Incentive payments to help attract more junior doctors to move to the NT to train as GPs.  

• A full exemption for independent GPs from payroll tax to help secure the future of GP care in the NT. 

• The next government to recognise high-quality general practice care as an essential service for Territorians.