“Any specialty group that has a ratio of less than three full-time service equivalent per 100,000 population is currently considered to be in acute shortage and is automatically classified as DWS,” the Federal Health department states.
It is different to a Distribution Priority Area DPA for GPs, which is “based on gender and age demographics, and the socio-economic status of patients living in an area.”
A Federal Health Department spokeswoman said the DWS of the Gladstone region would be reassessed in July.
“The Districts of Workforce Shortage for specialists status is not related to or impacted by the DPA status of a region,” the spokeswoman said.