Concerns are growing that the Grampians may face a shortage of general practitioners, after changes to the federal government's overseas doctor distribution system.
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The federal government changed the Distribution Priority Area classification on Thursday, July 21.
The classification system identifies areas experiencing lower levels of GP services, compared with a benchmark of GP services.
Under the changes, towns with a population of more than 50,000, or within 20km of those towns, will automatically fall under the Designated Priority Area status - meaning the towns will have access to a larger pool of doctors, including international medical graduates.
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The Rural Doctors of Australia Association raised concerns the classification change would result in much-needed medical professionals foregoing rural placements for work in larger regional cities and outer Melbourne suburbs.
"The new Labor government has now expanded DPAs to include all large regional centres as well as some outer metro areas," Rural Doctors of Australia Association president Dr Megan Belot said.
"This will mean that many rural and remote towns will be abandoned by their doctors, who will move to more sociable, convenient and connected locations."
Grampians Health chief medical officer Matthew Hadfield said the lack of GPs in regional areas such as Stawell was "one of the most pressing issues" facing healthcare.
The Stawell Times-News asked for clarity how the changes would impact the Stawell Medical Centre, however a direct answer wasn't given.
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"The disproportionate lack of GPs in rural Victoria is one of the most pressing issues for healthcare at present and contributes to the high demand we're seeing on services across Grampians Health," he said.
"Grampians Health welcomes any support to boost the regional and rural health workforce across all sectors. GPs provide essential care to our community, and can help to ease the pressure on our services by providing preventative medicine and age-appropriate screenings to identify illness in its early stages."
While the immediate impacts on Stawell's health workforce were unclear, the Rural Doctors Association said it was already seeing the impacts of the change at rural clinics across the country.
"We have already received very early indicators of how this policy change will wreak havoc in the bush," Dr Belot said.
"We are already desperately short of rural doctors, and the DPA expansion will pull the rug out from under many rural medical practices."
Dr Belot said the association would push the federal government to increase incentives for regional doctors to address shortages.
"RDAA will be pushing for swift, urgent action to accelerate the rollout of the National Rural Generalist Pathway and recognition of Rural Generalism as a specialty, as well as urgent implementation industrial reforms proposed by RDAA to develop a system that supports, trains, encourages and incentivises doctors to work rurally," Dr Belot said.
"Unfortunately, even when fast-tracked, these initiatives will take time to build a sustainable rural medical workforce, and how this Government plans to address the immediate drain of doctors from the bush remains a mystery.
"RDAA has a meeting with Minister Butler in the coming weeks and we will be putting these questions and proposed solutions to him for his urgent consideration."
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