Tom John: MOGA chair warns over looming workforce shortages

Tom John, Medical Oncologist and Translational Researcher at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, recently shared a post on X:

“MOGA chair warns over looming workforce shortages:

In hospitals as expectations grow in the community for cancer care and our patients are living longer, we are experiencing higher workloads amongst both junior and senior staff.

And yet, although we build shiny new edifices, we fail to increase the workforce to deal with rising demands. I realise this happens in all specialties, but it feels very acute in oncology.

I think many trainees in most specialties feel they need to do more to get a job in the city. But the disconnect is that while there is a workforce shortage on the ground, we really dont need such a highly trained group to all have to do more to secure a position.

With an increasing, older population, increasing demands, better cancer survival should = more funded specialty positions. (Link)

Last week a recent onc PhD told me they did not have a secure job in a public hospital where they worked. It was based on back-filling leave and picking up medicare slips -bulk billing. Highly, highly trained, excellent oncologist – not securely employed. This needs to change.”

Source: Tom John/X