A record number of doctors entering GP training this year has been described as a significant boost for South Australian regional healthcare.
Sturt Fleurieu Education and Training will place 50 doctors in regions including the Barossa, Adelaide Hills, Murray Mallee, Riverland and the south-east, with mentoring and supervision from experienced GPs.
The group’s director of medical education, Peter Clements, said that was an increase of nearly 50 per cent over the previous highest year.
“That’s an increase of nearly 50 per cent over our previous highest years and of those 33 will be rurally-based through the whole two years or more of their training program and that’s by far the largest number we’ve managed to distribute across our rural areas,” he said.
“We’re happy that we’ve been seeing gradual increases over the last four or five years but this is a very significant increase in numbers and we’re very, very pleased to see it happening and obviously our GP colleagues, particularly in the more distant areas of our region, are extremely pleased for the support and for the opportunity to contribute to their training.”