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District of Workforce Shortage & Area of Need
If you want to treat private patients as a General Practitioner (GP) or a specialist, (rather than work in a salaried public hospital position) you will need a Medicare number to attract the Medicare rebate. This is generally issued as a restricted provider number, but only if you work in a District of Workforce Shortage (DWS). This condition applies in all states and territories of Australia.
A DWS is a location where the provision of medical services currently falls below the national average, which is determined by the Department of Health and Ageing.
After five to ten years working in a DWS you will be eligible for an unrestricted Medicare provider number which will allow you to treat private patients wherever you wish.
An Area of Need is any position/location in which there is a lack of specific medical practitioners or where there are medical positions that remain unfilled following multiple recruitment attempts over a period of time. Area of Need applies to both public and private sector positions.
Most international medical graduates (IMGs) who do not qualify for general or specialist registration, but who have the skills and qualifications considered sufficient to work under supervision will need to work in an Area of Need.
Under section 67(5) of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act 2009, it is the responsible Minister (or delegate) in a State or Territory who decides whether and an Area of Need exists. The Medical Board of Australia is responsible for deciding whether an individual applicant is eligible, qualified and suitable for limited registration for Area of Need, to practise in a particular position.
For more information regarding Area of Need and DWS visit:
- Medical Board of Australia - Area of Need
- DoctorConnect - Restrictions
- Department of Health and Ageing - District of Workforce Shortage Factsheet
If you are a general practitioner (GP/family physician) who has identified a position for which you would like to apply, and you know the address of the practice, you might like to check the District of Workforce Shortage database for GPs to see if the address is currently listed in a DWS. This will act as a guide as to whether you are likely to be approved when it comes time to lodge an application for a Medicare provider number to practise in that location. Please note that this database is for general practice locations only.
Factsheets
- Victorian Department of Health - Area of Need Fact Sheet
- DoctorConnect - District of Workforce Shortage
- DoctorConnect - Section 19AA of the Health Insurance Act 1973 Factsheet
