Charlotte Varcoe
AN INTERNATIONAL shortage of podiatrists has hit home at the Mount Gambier and Districts Hospital with locum specialists in the works to travel to the region.
A spokesperson for the Limestone Coast Local Health Network (LCLHN) said the network was working with the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network High Risk Foot Clinic’s podiatry staff to secure “two podiatrists per fortnight” to fly in and out of Mount Gambier/Berrin to “address high risk foot referrals”.
“Currently we have a number of specialists delivering care in Mount Gambier, both based locally and visiting locums,” they said.
“There is an international shortage of podiatrists, and the Limestone Coast Local Health Network is not exempt from recruitment and retention difficulties.
“Every effort is being made to recruit for our podiatry positions and we are continuing to ensure we provide local care for high risk and high priority clients.”
The spokesperson said progression of international recruitment was also continuing with the LCLHN’s main priority to “secure a clinical senior podiatrists” for the community.
Minister for Health and Wellbeing Chris Picton said attracting a “sustainable workforce” was the biggest issue facing regional health, not just in South Australia but across the country.
“That is why the state government has financial incentives available of up to $15,000 to recruit healthcare workers to regional and rural South Australia,” Mr Picton said.
“As part of our election commitments to improve regional health, the State Government is committed to adding 10 full-time-equivalent specialists positions to help country health services recruit more specialists.
“We are focused on improving services so people can receive care closer to home.”
Despite this, federal shadow minister for health and aged care Anne Ruston said there needed to be more incentives given to medical practitioners so there was an added financial incentive for people to work in regional locations.
“We also need to make sure that migration is targeted to the kind of skilled workforce that is specific to need and there is no greater need at the moment in rural and regional Australia,” Ms Ruston said.
“We need a coordinated approach that actually addresses all of the issues across the whole of Australia and recognises that solutions in different places are going to be different.”
She said there continued to be a “city centric” approach to how workforce issues were addressed, labelling the loss of Mount Gambier/Berrin-based public podiatrists as “devastating” for the community.
“It is really important that we have got the incentives in place and we have got the critical mass of health services so we do not start seeing these specialists decide to leave the community,” Ms Ruston said.
“”It’s obviously devastating for the community because you have to travel so far to get your treatment.
“The first big challenge in all this is sometimes people actually don’t want to travel so therefore they don’t get the treatment and we sometimes will see people die as a result of not being able to get access to treatment.
“But it also is a very expensive proposition if something that could be treated in the early stages doesn’t get treated until later.
“So it really is very, very important that we have got the incentives in place and we have got the critical mass of health services so that we don’t start seeing these specialists decide to leave the community.”
