{
  "id": 5418314,
  "title": "Victorian healthcare system is 'fundamentally broken', GP says",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/victorian-healthcare-system-is-fundamentally-broken-gp-says",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-03T21:19:58.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ABC News AU",
    "slug": "abc-news-au",
    "url": "https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-04/regional-doctor-shortage-driving-demand-at-emergency-departments/107075594"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Victorian GP Jacqueline Altree explains that inadequate access to primary care is leading to more patients needing emergency department (ED) care in hospitals. Many clinics struggle to hire staff and lack resources, impacting patient care. In Terang, a south-west Victorian clinic, patients have to wait three to four months for routine appointments, even with Dr Altree back at work. The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners warns that without support, people will continue to get sicker. The shortage of GPs is among the key factors causing pressure on regional hospital EDs. Hundreds of GPs walked off their jobs in Ballarat and Bendigo emergency departments to protest poor pay and working conditions. The Commonwealth government's recent data shows fewer doctors per capita in rural and remote communities in Victoria compared to metropolitan and regional centers. In the far south-west Victorian town of Casterton, there was no GP for six months in 2024 due to their long-standing doctor retiring, leaving patients without care. The town now has three doctors, but the problem persists due to national policy issues. In 2022, the federal government implemented changes to Distribution Priority Area (DPA) policy, making it easier for international medical graduates to work as GPs outside of small rural towns and remote locations. However, the policy was later expanded, which critics argue could make it harder to recruit doctors. GPs argue that unless the GP shortage is addressed, the ED crisis will only worsen.",
  "summary": "Australia's leading GP group warns people will continue to get sicker if clinics and staff are not supported.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}