General practitioners fear wait times and appointment shortages will worsen with an increasing number leaving the profession.

Melbourne GP Dr Mary-Anne Lancaster says “GPs are leaving the profession in droves”.

She blasted the federal government for failing to support general practitioners.

“Our younger colleagues know that we work extremely hard, we’re not that valued, and that was certainly shown over the last couple of years by the government,” Dr Lancaster told Ross and Russel.

“They stopped out Medicare rebates increasing for 10 years, and then when they do give us a Medicare rebate … they basically said ‘Well, bad luck, we don’t actually think you’re worth that much … we’ll put it up by, say, two per cent’.

“A lot of the new grads aren’t even considering general practice, so we’re bleeding from one end but we’re not actually taking in enough at the other end.”

Press PLAY below to hear Dr Lancaster’s fiery words for federal government

Former AMA president Mukesh Haikerwal has told the Herald Sun there’s been a “great resignation” of GPs in recent months.

He says doctors have just stopped working because they’re burnt out after three years of COVID-19.

Modelling from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners suggests women, those under 35 and those over 65 are most likely to be leaving the profession.