A qualified surgeon is ready and willing to operate in Taree, with two local hospitals begging for his help. There’s just one problem: an outdated Canberra classification says the Manning doesn’t need him.
Federal Member for Lyne Alison Penfold is calling on the Albanese Government to urgently find a pathway for surgeon Dr Alex Boue to practise in Taree, saying the anomaly is standing between Manning patients and a surgeon the community urgently needs.
In an extraordinary quirk, Dr Boue has been granted a Medicare provider number to practise in Forster, but cannot obtain one to provide the same general surgical services in Taree, just 30 kilometres away. The reason is the Commonwealth’s District of Workforce Shortage (DWS) classification, used to assess whether an area has sufficient access to particular non-GP medical specialists. For overseas-trained doctors subject to Medicare restrictions, a DWS classification can determine whether they can access Medicare benefits to practise there. Forster qualifies for Dr Boue. Taree does not.
“The absurdity is difficult to explain to people in the Manning,” Ms Penfold said.
“Dr Boue can work in Forster, but drive 30 kilometres down the road to Taree and the rules effectively say we don’t need him.
“The classification simply doesn’t reflect what is happening on the ground.”
Dr Boue has been appointed as a Visiting Medical Officer General Surgeon at Manning Base Hospital and credentialled to practise at Mayo Private Hospital, with both hospitals supporting his application. Mayo Private has advised that, if able to practise in Taree, Dr Boue could contribute around 150 consulting sessions a month across public and private settings, as well as 20 to 25 private operative cases a month. At the time of its representation, hundreds of patients were awaiting consultation in the public system.
“This is why getting this provider number matters,” Ms Penfold said.
“Regional surgical services don’t operate in neat public and private silos. We need specialists who can build a sustainable practice here, work across our health system and, most importantly, stay here.”
Ms Penfold said local surgeons had warned the Manning’s surgical workforce was under “significant strain”, with senior surgeons approaching retirement and demand so great that one local surgeon had closed her books to new public patients. She said the situation had also been described as an “imminent workforce crisis”, with concerns the historical data underpinning the classification did not reflect current circumstances.
She pointed to a similar problem the Coalition had fixed for GPs while in government.
“When the Coalition was in Government, we recognised a similar problem with the Distribution Priority Area system applying to GPs,” Ms Penfold said.
“In 2021 we introduced an exceptional circumstances review process so government could consider sudden workforce changes and emerging local pressures rather than relying on a classification which no longer reflected what was happening on the ground.
“That process could consider factors such as doctors retiring without replacement, unexpected workforce changes and demonstrated difficulties recruiting and retaining doctors.
“It applied to GPs and does not directly apply to Dr Boue as a specialist surgeon, but the principle is the same.
“If government accepts that a workforce classification can become outdated for GPs, surely it can recognise when the same thing is happening with surgeons.”
Ms Penfold has personally raised Dr Boue’s case with the Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health Emma McBride and has sought urgent Commonwealth intervention.
“The Government’s response acknowledged the retirement of local surgeons but advised the existing guidelines don’t allow local recruitment difficulties to be considered,” she said.
“That should be ringing alarm bells.
“We have an ageing community, growing demand and waiting lists, surgeons approaching retirement, hospitals asking for Dr Boue and a qualified surgeon who wants to live here and look after our community.
“The Manning should not have to reach crisis point before a Canberra classification catches up with reality.
“Minister, please work with me to fix the anomaly. Find the pathway. Let Dr Boue provide the healthcare our community needs.”
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