Scotland Faces Shortage Of GPs

Chronic shortage of GPs in Scotland makes the condition worse and it is in a position to recruit foreign doctors and attract more men into the profession to makeup the shortfall. Most strugglers were the remote and rural area peoples.

Report says ‘Population increase, rise in female part-time GPs, more workloads and immence retirement of a large number of doctors are the result of such hardest shortage’.

Dr Brian McKinstry, a senior research fellow at the University of Edinburgh and a practising GP, identifies action must be taken, regarding hiring more doctors from overseas, retraining nurses to carry out advanced duties currently performed by GPs and giving women doctors with families more support to work longer hours, whereas recruitment drive is also essential to produce more male doctors.

McKinstry said since only 12% of male medical students in Scotland intend to become GPs so action must be taken to overcome severe shortage of GPs. Due to communication problems recruiting doctors from overseas would provide a serious effect.

'Research shows that patient satisfaction is high when the role of the nurse is increased, and they take more time in dealing with cases’ said McKinstry.

Women doctors works fewer hours than male GPs. Making them to work for longer hours may be effective - McKinstry's study finds.

Joint chairman of the Scottish General Practitioners Committee, David Love, says ministers are failed to tackle the condition before times in the presence of our warnings about increasing the number of GP training places.

Dr Nanette Milne, health spokeswoman for the Scottish Conservatives, said: ‘We are concerned with the findings of this report. The huge burden of paperwork and red tape under the Labour and Liberal Democrat coalition has taken many GPs to the brink of resignation.

One good thing needs to be making balance between recruiting more young doctors into general practice in hospital, and retaining a greater number of older GPs and giving them more professional as well as personal freedom.

Plans were made by Scottish university in 2004 that allowing less academic students to study medicine in an attempt to address an acute shortage of doctors.

A new, robust planning process with BMA will provide supply over the long term. An increase in the annual number of GP registrar places from 250 to 280 will be maintained for 2006-2007.

An increase between september 2004 and september 2005, in the number of whole-time equivalent GPs in Scotland increased by 82 (2.1%) to 4,073 was seen in the recent years – Spokesman reports.