For the first time in Western Australia’s history, more than 1,000 general practitioners are now working across our rural and remote communities. It’s a moment worth pausing to acknowledge – not just as a number, but for what it represents.
It marks growth. It signals that targeted efforts to recruit and retain rural GPs are starting to bear fruit. And it provides a glimmer of hope for the many regional and remote communities across WA that have long struggled to access consistent, high-quality primary healthcare.
But this milestone also serves as a sharp reminder that our work is far from done.
What the numbers tell us
As at 30 November 2024, Rural Health West recorded 1,009 GPs practising in rural WA – a 5.8 per cent increase on the previous year. Encouragingly, this growth was driven by more resident GPs and registrars entering the workforce, and the trend towards a more gender-balanced GP cohort has continued, with 48 per cent now identifying as female.
Turnover is also showing signs of improvement. Permanent GP turnover has dropped to 12.5 per cent – down from 14.7 per cent the previous year – a small but important indicator that more doctors may be choosing to stay.
International medical graduates (IMGs) continue to play a crucial role, comprising over half of our rural GP workforce and making up nearly 68 per cent of new arrivals in the past year.
These figures tell us we’re moving in the right direction, however more needs to be done.
What the 2024 WA Rural GP Summit revealed
Last year, stakeholders, GPs and rural generalists from across the health system gathered at the inaugural WA Rural GP Summit convened by Rural Health West to examine this very issue – the state of rural general practice and how we can improve it.
The data presented at the Summit was clear and compelling:
- Rural WA will need more than 1,270 rural GPs by 2030 to meet rising demand – an increase of nearly 300 doctors on today’s figures.
- Our rural GP-to-population ratio continues to lag behind the rest of the country – with just 77.1 GPs per 100,000 people in rural WA, compared to the national average of 88.9.
- Rural populations are growing – expected to reach 630,000 by 2030 – and the demand for GP consultations could rise by up to 800,000 additional visits per year.
10 priority actions: A blueprint for reform
Ten priorities emerged from the WA Rural GP Summit, spanning the rural GP pipeline, from student recruitment through to retention of senior GPs nearing retirement. These included:
- Boosting exposure to rural practice for medical students and junior doctors
- Marketing general practice as a dynamic, respected, and fulfilling career pathway
- Providing better supports for IMGs, including social, professional, and family supports
- Tailoring financial incentives to local needs and levels of remoteness
- Embedding GP generalist training more deeply into medical curricula
- Reforming leave entitlements for GP registrars to make rural practice more attractive
- Scaling up intern and RMO posts in primary care and rural settings
- Supporting advanced skills training to enable rural procedural work
- Improving communication pathways between GPs and hospitals
- Enhancing FIFO/DIDO models for hard-to-service locations
While there have certainly been inroads made in some of these initiatives, we must embed the priority actions into mainstream policy and funding programs, ensuring momentum is not lost.
What’s next?
Surpassing 1,000 rural GPs in WA is a landmark achievement – and a moment to recognise the efforts of everyone contributing to a stronger rural health workforce: the clinicians, funders, policymakers, educators, recruiters, and the communities themselves.
To truly future-proof rural healthcare, we must now shift from celebration to action. Rural and remote communities deserve sustainable, long-term solutions – not just incremental gains.
It means recognising the value of our IMG colleagues and their families – not just as workforce ‘gaps to be filled’, but as integral members of our regional communities who need connection, mentorship and support to stay.
And it means telling a new story about general practice – one that celebrates the impact, diversity, autonomy, and meaning that rural medicine offers.
Final thoughts
At Rural Health West, we are committed to doing everything we can to support the growth, stability and vitality of the rural GP workforce. We are proud to have reached the 1,000 GP milestone – and we are equally focused on the next 270.
We look forward to continuing our partnerships across the sector as we work towards that goal. If you’d like to learn more about our data, our programs, or how you can get involved – please reach out. We are stronger when we work together.
The latest Rural General Practice in Western Australia: Annual Workforce Update is available at www.ruralhealthwest.com.au/gpupdate.