Shortage of GPs due to zoning - changes by Labor to ease issue in Blue Mountains.

Local doctors told Federal Member for Macquarie Susan Templeman prior to the election the issue was creating a health care crisis as retiring doctors could not easily be replaced.

Ms Templeman, said the announcement was great news for overstretched GPs and residents across the Mountains and Hawkesbury. It comes after a review of the current Distribution Priority Area (DPA) status. Previously all towns east of Blackheath were classified as Sydney, meaning the region was not deemed a priority area. As a result, it had become difficult to attract and retain GPs.

"Doctors particularly in the Blue Mountains have been calling for reform of the system ever since the previous Liberal/Nationals Government stripped everywhere east of Blackheath of GP priority status in 2019," Ms Templeman said.

In Macquarie, the update means practices will be able to recruit overseas trained and bonded medical program doctors to help address shortages. International medical graduates and overseas trained doctors are only able to access Medicare if they work in a DPA area.

"Local practices will now be able to recruit from a much bigger pool of doctors," she said.

Wentworth Healthcare, the provider of the Nepean Blue Mountains Primary Health Network, helps support local practices to recruit and retain skilled primary healthcare professionals. CEO, Lizz Reay said some pressure would be taken off the workforce.

"We have been advocating for a review of the current DPA status in our region for some time and are delighted the government has taken these steps to help address GP shortages."

"This change will allow practices experiencing workforce shortages to recruit overseas trained doctors to ensure that people in our region have better access to quality primary healthcare services."

She said there remained other challenges.

"Our health professionals have been working at capacity for over the last two years, through several disasters and the pandemic. We're continuing to see an increased demand for health services, particularly in mental health, and we need to ensure we have the workforce to meet that demand."

Representatives from Katoomba Medical Practice told Ms Templeman before the election the dearth of doctors and nurses was causing delays for patients and stretching the capacities of practices.

"We miss out on doctors wanting to move to regional areas because we aren't regional," said Dr Rana at the time. "It's a struggle to find registrars to come here, as the area shares the same zoning as metropolitan Sydney."

"While some of our local doctors and nurses are getting to the age where they are considering retiring, others are burning out. And the fact is, none of them are being replaced."

Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler, said delivering on this election promise meant thousands of Australians living outside capital cities will be more easily able to see a GP when they need to.

"This was a simple change to help these areas that the previous government refused to make."

The changes came into effect on July 21.