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Demography
The Murray Mallee General Practice Network (formerly Division of General Practice) was established in November 1995 and is based in the major population centre of the region - the Rural City of Murray Bridge. It covers an area of 23,000 square kilometres from the eastern Adelaide Hills through to the Victorian border. The Sturt Highway and rail route from Adelaide to Melbourne pass through the region. The River Murray, Coorong and Murray Mallee areas are significant environmental features.
There are 32 doctors practising within the Network, operating from practices in seven towns. Furthermore, there are regular placement of students, registrars, trainees and interns within our practices. The Network relates to the Sturt Fleurieu and Adelaide to Outback GPET programs and the Flinders University General Practice Parallel Rural Community Curriculum.
Three of the practices are community owned and managed, and employ general practitioners on service agreements. These are solo and isolated practices 70-170 kilometres from the regional centre. There are three small private practices with 3-5 general practitioners and one very large private practice (17 GPs). Each practice also provides medical services to a local hospital. Medical workforce priorities include ongoing recruitment and retention activities to ensure the continuity of medical services for rural and remote communities.
The Network has a positive relationship with Country Health SA health units based in the Mallee- Coorong area and our organisations meet regularly through the Health Partnership Forum. There is also significant interaction between the MMGPN and the community health services, particularly within the chronic disease arena where a number of integrated programs have been developed and sustained over a period of years. Of particular note is the Mental Health program.
Significant demographic changes in the past decade include: 25% of general practitioners in the Network are now overseas trained (from none in 1995); the ratio of female GPs has increased from 10% to 30%; and the average age of the GP population has increased, with 15% of GPs reaching retiring age in the next five years.
The estimated population of the region is about 32,000. Just over half of this number live in or around the Rural City of Murray Bridge with the remainder living in small townships or on rural properties.
There are five Local Government’s within the area: Murray Bridge (RC), The Coorong (DC), Southern Mallee (DC), Karoonda East Murray (DC) and part of the Mid Murray (DC).
About 4% of the population identify as Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders. The ATSI population is based in the Murray Bridge and the Coorong LGAs, the traditional lands of the Narrindjeri people. Other culturally diverse groups include refugees who have been resettled in the area and migrant families who have been recruited to address workforce shortages.
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